


cupid

by whalemingo



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Boys In Love, Cupcakes, Cupid - Freeform, Dorks in Love, F/M, First Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Longing, Love, M/M, One Sided Love, Onesided Django/ Phineas, Onesided Djano/ Buford, Possible Unrequited Crush, Possibly Unrequited Love, Side Ferbnessa, Side Phinabella, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, long fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 49,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26466499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whalemingo/pseuds/whalemingo
Summary: Baljeet’s a matchmaker - cupid’s assistant, he was sent on a new mission to make a boy named Buford Van Stomm fall in love with his film partner, Django Brown.tw// swearing, a short mention of suicide, mentions of kisses but no explicit depictions of sex.
Relationships: Baljeet Tjinder & Buford van Stomm, Baljeet Tjinder/Buford van Stomm
Comments: 52
Kudos: 37





	1. prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything around Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, Bujeet would be canon.

> **Prologue**

Baljeet walked into Vanessa's office, scared at what mission his boss would have for him this time around. It wasn't easy, being Cupid, always having to make sure someone was in love, or being loved. It was a tiring job, one that Baljeet considered quitting frequently, but the joy on people's faces after they found their soulmate made everything worth it for Baljeet. Even if he knew he'd never have his own soulmate, due to the constant needs from his job.

"Vanessa?" Baljeet asked quietly, pushing open the heavy oak door. Vanessa sat behind her desk, sipping on a dark milkshake while she sorted through some papers. Vanessa looked up when she heard Baljeet approaching, and a small smile found its way onto her face.

"Ah, Baljeet, please sit down. I have a lot to talk to you about." Baljeet walked forward and sat in one of Vanessa's fluffy black bean bag chairs, something that would feel completely unprofessional if Vanessa wasn't the actual human embodiment of Cupid. Baljeet was just an assistant, while Vanessa was the real deal. She didn't need flimsy arrows and good aim, Vanessa could snap her fingers and bam, you were in love. (The fairies would sometimes joke that it was the only reason Vanessa and Ferb were dating.)

"I'm not sure if I've told you this, but you've failed your last three missions," Vanessa said, setting her milkshake aside. Baljeet nodded and bit his lip. Of course, he knew, it was a fact that Baljeet couldn't escape, not with Phineas always flying behind him, teasing him about it.

"I am aware, Vanessa," Baljeet muttered sadly. Vanessa frowned and pressed her finger to the underside of Baljeet's chin, making the younger look at her.

"I've talked to the council, and we've decided to give you one more chance, or they're taking away your wings and you'll be forced to live in the mortal world," Vanessa said. Baljeet swallowed in anticipation as Vanessa ruffled through her papers once again. She pulled out a folder – black, of course – and pushed it across the desk to Baljeet.

Baljeet opened it slowly to reveal a man who looked a few years older than him, with pale skin and semi-long, brown hair. "That is Buford Van Stomm and is being admired by his partner, Django Brown. We're sending you in to help Buford fall for Django, so the poor boy would stop embarrassing himself."

Baljeet furrowed his eyebrows. "Partner? If they are already together then I am not too sure what I can do; if the love is gone, then the love is gone."

Vanessa rolled her eyes at the younger boy's cluelessness. Usually, she'd tell Baljeet to read the file and find out for himself, but she didn't want to have to fire him. Baljeet had heart, something that Vanessa's helpers needed. Baljeet wasn't expandable like many of the others, Vanessa needed him to keep things running, so she figured she'd help him out just enough to where he would pass the mission, but not enough to the point the council would notice.

"Film partners, Baljeet. They film movies together." Vanessa's phone rang and she flipped it open. A text from Isabella appeared, and the girl needed her for something. "I have to go, but please, Baljeet, read over the file. We'll dispatch you in the morning, be ready by seven."

Vanessa then hurried out of the room, for Isabella’s message was very vague, and she was afraid the fairy may have gotten her wings stuck in the refrigerator door again. Baljeet watched as Vanessa rushed out the door and looked back at the file, which seemed to be bursting with information. Baljeet sighed, it was going to be a long night, and his eyes felt tired just looking at the black tinted papers stacked neatly inside the folder.

"Do not worry, Django," Baljeet said, "I will have Buford falling for you in no time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! It’s my first time writing fan fiction, please leave a comment/ kudos if you enjoyed; this motivates me to update the chapters.
> 
> words 661  
> characters 3835


	2. one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and are not meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything about Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, the show would’ve continued.

> **One**

Baljeet waved goodbye to Phineas, who was pouting as he watched his best friend shrug on his backpack. Phineas didn't want Baljeet to leave, he didn't care about the fact that Baljeet’s wings were on the line. Without Baljeet, Phineas was left alone with Isabella, who, even though could be cute at times, the fairy was annoying for the most part. Isabella would always pull at his hair, and land on his shoulders without Phineas noticing until she spoke up about something, which usually made Phineas jump and shriek like a child.

“Why can't you stay, Baljeet? Who cares about wings? I'll fly you around, please don't leave me here alone." Phineas begged, grabbing on to Baljeet’s sweater. Baljeet laughed and pushed Phineas away from him so he could get ready to leave. 

“I will not be gone long, Phineas, I promise. All I must do is make Buford fall in love with Django, which should not be too difficult. It says in his file that he liked Django once, but was not sure about his sexuality, so he brushed it aside. All I need to do is rekindle those feelings and wapow! I will be immediately delivered back here, and my wings will be saved." Baljeet patted Phineas’ shoulder and ruffled the boy's red hair. "So do not be discouraged, I will be back before you know it. And if you ever get lonely, you know Isabella is constantly looking for someone to play with. At least humour her while I am gone."

"But Isa is–" Baljeet waved his arms frantically upon seeing Isabella walking up behind Phineas. Phineas stopped abruptly and Isabella's wings fluttered in curiosity.

"Gracious? Wonderful? What were you going to say, Phineas?" Isabella asked, hovering just above the ground next to Phineas. Phineas smiled up at the girl and shook his head, letting out a small squeak of dismissal.

"Don't worry your little head about it, Isabella," Phineas said, laughing awkwardly as he turned back to Baljeet. "Have a good time, Baljeet. Please come back soon." 

"I will be back as soon as I can, but I can not lose my wings, Phineas." Baljeet looked at Isabella, who had landed on his feet and had her arms open for a hug. "I will see you later, Isa. Keep Phineas out of trouble."

Isabella saluted Baljeet once before grabbing onto Phineas' bicep and pulling him away. Phineas glared back at Baljeet and the Indian just wiggled his fingers, a cheeky grin on his face. The grin quickly disappeared as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Vanessa looking down at him, wand in hand. Baljeet's eyes widened, how far were they sending him? Usually, Vanessa didn't need her wand – not even to send people to the mortal world – so where the hell was he going?

"Don't worry, Baljeet, I'm only using my wand because I can trace the magic that way." Vanessa dropped her voice to a whisper, "I'll know before anyone else if you need help, that way I can help you before the council can pluck you right out of the mortal world and bring you back here for trial."

Baljeet nodded his head, but he was still apprehensive. He didn't even know how he was going to find Buford, let alone befriend him and make him fall in love. Vanessa saw the worry clouding over Baljeet's face and she sighed. Baljeet was going to need more help than she thought. "I'll take care of everything, Baljeet. Look at it this way: you're a vessel for my magic. I'll do all the work, you just sit and look pretty for the council."

"Why are you helping me so much?" Baljeet asked. Usually, Vanessa would throw a file at him and send him on his way, but this time around Vanessa seemed just as worried about the mission as Baljeet did. Vanessa looked at Baljeet solemnly, and Baljeet understood that if he failed this mission, he'd never see Vanessa again. Not only were his wings on the line but so were all of his friendships. He started getting teary at the revelation. "Do you think... do you think that if I lose my wings the council will let me live with Ferb and the other nymphs? They do not have wings." 

Vanessa's smile fell even further. "No, Baljeet. When the council said this was your last chance, they meant it. It's either pass the mission or live in the mortal world without your wings." It was harsh, but it was the truth. Baljeet nodded and grasped the straps of his backpack. Vanessa lifted her wand, and with the flick of a wrist, Baljeet felt the familiar uncomfortable compression of the air around him as he was transported from the fairy world to the mortal world.

Baljeet crash-landed in a parking lot, skidding across the black pavement. He expected it to hurt, he was bleeding and scraped up, but he never felt an ounce of pain. As he pulled himself off the ground he noticed a man with brown hair running towards him, and a light bulb went off in Baljeet's head.

_This is Buford Van Stomm, Vanessa did that on purpose._

"Hey, are 'ya okay?" Buford dropped to his knees in front of Baljeet, who was rubbing his head, trying to play off the idea that he was hurt. Baljeet looked at Buford and mustered up a weak smile.

"Yes, I am fine. Um, do you know where I can clean this off?" Baljeet gestures towards his elbow, which was dripping with blood. Buford's nose wrinkled and he looked away before pointing to the building behind them.

"This is where I work, I can probably get my boss to let ‘ya use the staff bathroom. Just, uh, come with me." Buford grabbed onto Baljeet's arms and helped him up, being careful to not get blood on his hands. He was already feeling queasy, and if he got the stranger's blood on him he might throw up.

It took them a while to get across the large parking lot, between Buford having to blindly guide Baljeet to the front door and Baljeet milking his 'injuries,' the trip too much longer than it should have. When they reached the front door, Buford opened it and stepped to the side. Baljeet raised an eyebrow when Buford didn't follow him, and Buford waved him on.

"Just goin’ to chill out here a second. Ask for Django, he'll show ‘ya to the bathroom." Baljeet nodded and walked further into the building, looking for Django. There was a picture of him in Buford's file, and he didn't think he could miss the boy's large smile.

"Buford! I was getting worried you were gone for– you're not Buford." Django appeared from behind a wall, a frown on his face. He looked Baljeet up and down, taking in his bloodstained clothes and scraped up arms. Django immediately jumped into action, grabbing Baljeet by the hand and dragging him towards the bathrooms.

"I am sorry," Baljeet said, "I did not mean to cause you any trouble. I fell in the parking lot and Buford – is that his name? Told me to come in here and tidy myself off." Django nodded and leant against the bathroom sink. Baljeet ran cold water over his injuries, and the blood disappeared like it was never there.

"So, not to be nosey, but what were you doing in the parking lot? No one ever visits unless Buford orders takeout, so I'm confused as to why you were wandering around the lot." Django said, looking over at Baljeet. Baljeet's eyes widened, he hadn't come up with an excuse if anyone asked him what he was doing in the parking lot. He opened his mouth to say he was just wandering around, but his mouth started moving on its own accord.

"I am actually new in town, and I got lost trying to find my way to my apartment." Baljeet's mouth snapped shut and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew that Vanessa was the one who made him say that, and Baljeet just wanted to yell that he was capable of handling himself and didn't need Vanessa's help with absolutely everything.

"Oh, well if you give me the apartment complex you're in I can give you directions." Baljeet nodded and reached into his pocket, hoping that a sliver of paper or a phone would appear there. Thankfully when he took his hand back out there was a crumpled up piece of paper in his palm. He handed it over to Django, who glanced at the paper before handing it back. "This is the same complex Buford lives in." 

"Oh, really?" Baljeet asked, looking down at the paper dubiously. Django nodded and looked down at the watch on his wrist.

"I don't know what your schedule's like, but you're welcome to just chill here for a few hours. I'm sure Buford wouldn't mind just walking you to the complex after we get off work." Django offered. Baljeet nodded and the bathroom door opened. Buford walked in, holding Baljeet's white backpack.

"You left this in the parking lot, so I brought it in." Buford was staring at the ground, and Baljeet could tell that the older boy didn't feel well.

"Don't worry, Buford, the blood is gone," Django said. Buford immediately looked up, a semi-relaxed smile on his face. "Oh, and Baljeet here is your new neighbour, so I told him you would walk with him on your way home so he doesn't get lost."

Baljeet smiled sheepishly and Buford nodded. "No problem, hope ‘ya don't mind waitin’ a while. Django, let's get back to work so we're not here all day."

Django followed Buford out of the bathroom, and Baljeet could feel the adoration pouring out of him. Baljeet sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He wished that he could get Buford to fall in love, for Django's sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I have about two chapters done, I just need to edit them; don’t worry, they’re coming out soon. Leave a comment/ kudos if you enjoyed this chapter, it motivates me to update more.
> 
> words 1676  
> characters 9393


	3. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, Doofenshmirtz would've stood up to his father.
> 
> I'm not too sure how filmmakers "work" so, please bear with me.

> **Two**

Baljeet had watched Buford and Django as they worked, and if the older boy wasn’t aware of how much Django liked him then he had to be blind as a bat. Django seemed to never stop looking at Buford, whether it was out of the corner of his eye, or full-on when Buford’s back was turned.

It was silent as Buford walked Baljeet to their shared apartment building, and Baljeet was practically dying to ask Buford about his and Django’s relationship. Buford noticed the younger boy striding lightly on his feet, something about his gait was telling Buford that there was something he wanted to talk about. “Out with it, then.”

Baljeet looked over at Buford, his eyes wide. “What?”

“You obviously wanna talk about somethin’, so go ahead and talk. I don’t mind.” Buford said. Baljeet nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. He wasn’t too sure where to start. Should he ask Buford how he feels about Django? Should he come right out and say he’s Cupid’s assistant and-

_No._ Vanessa’s voice rang through Baljeet’s head and the boy flinched at the sudden intrusion of his brain. _Ask him about his job._

“I observed some of the scenes you and Django were writing… Do you like writing films? Is it hard to find inspiration for writing films all of the time?” Baljeet asked, looking over at Buford. The older boy seemed almost surprised at Baljeet’s question, but once the shock wore off, his face lit up and his eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement.

“I guess my job is a bit tirin’ sometimes, yeah, but I love it. Filmmaking is my passion and to be able to capture moments for other people and to see and watch their faces fill with emotion… it just,” Buford smiled to himself and shook his head. “It just makes me so fuckin’ happy. Sometimes comin’ up with good editing and cinematography for other films is hard, only because a lotta the time the edits I make for myself are based on what I want people to feel, so it’s sometimes hard to grasp the concept of what other people want for their film.” Buford took a breath and opened his mouth to keep talking until he shut it abruptly and shook his head at himself. “Sorry, I’m rambling.”

“No, it is alright, keep talking.” Baljeet urged, a smile on his face. Buford looked at him, thinking about how strange the new person in town was. He literally crash-landed out of nowhere onto the pavement and didn’t even seem bothered by the pints of blood flowing out of him. He also didn’t seem to mind sitting on the couch of a recording studio and staring at a wall for hours on end. And now he was asking Buford about something that had nothing to do with himself and seemed actually _interested_ in what Buford had to say. Baljeet wasn’t a bad type of odd, he was just _odd_.

“No, tell me something about yourself.” Baljeet seemed apprehensive like he wasn’t sure what could possibly be interesting enough to share. “Why’d you come to the Tri-State Area?”

“To accommodate a friend out with something,” Baljeet answered. Of course, when he actually needed her, Vanessa wasn’t in his head to tell him what to say. Buford fell quiet at the vague answer, but Baljeet didn’t want the conversation to die. “Django seems helpful.”

“Yeah, he is.” Buford seemed to be zoning out, so Baljeet let the conversation drop. They arrived at their apartment complex quickly after that, and Baljeet felt around his pockets for a key. Of course, he wasn’t sure which apartment he’d be staying in, but Vanessa had come through with everything else so far, he didn’t think this should be an exception. Buford watched as Baljeet practically groped himself looking for his apartment key.

After what seemed like forever, _finally,_ Baljeet’s frantic fingers pressed up against a cool metal key in his back pocket. He pulled it out and grinned with triumph. Engraved into the metal were the numbers 0503, Baljeet’s new apartment number. (And coincidentally his birthday. Baljeet wondered if Vanessa did that on purpose.)

Baljeet followed Buford to the elevator and Buford pressed the button for the fifth floor. “Oh, sorry, what’s your apartment number?”

“Oh-five-oh-three,” Baljeet answered. Buford laughed and shook his head stepping away from the buttons.

“Well, hello there new neighbour. The old woman who lived in that apartment died a few months ago, and they've been tryna rent it out ever since.” Baljeet almost dropped his key at the news, having to fumble around to save it from hitting the ground.

“She _died_?” Baljeet asked as if he’d never heard of anyone passing away before. He’d experience plenty of loss, however since, his mom was part pixie and his relatives got stepped on all the time. It had gotten to the point where Baljeet wouldn’t even cry at their deaths anymore; he didn’t have time to be that sad often.

“In her sleep, the landlord said she had a heart attack.” Buford looked over at Baljeet, whose eyes looked ready to fall out of his head. He rested an arm on Baljeet’s shoulder and quirked an eyebrow. “You ain’t afraid of ghosts, are you Baljeet?”

Baljeet blew a raspberry and flicked his hand nonchalantly. “No, of course, I am not. That would be silly.” Baljeet looked over at Buford. “Did she truly die in the apartment though?”

Buford laughed as the elevator dinged open, and walked towards his apartment without answering Baljeet’s question. Baljee walked to his own apartment and struggled to fit the key in the hole. His room at home recognized him immediately and opened up when it sensed him. Isabella’s room opened with fairy dust. There was no such thing as a key or keyholes, and Baljeet didn’t have to worry about the metal slipping through his short fingers.

Buford watched him out of the corner of his eye, a smile threatening to break through as Baljeet struggled with the key. When he finally got it, Baljeet yelled happily and Buford couldn’t hold back his smile. He wasn’t sure why, but there was something about Baljeet that made him feel lighter. There had been no awkward getting to know you conversations, it was like they had been best friends forever and Baljeet already knew everything he had to. (Because he did. But Buford didn’t know that.)

“See you around, Baljeet,” Buford said, opening his own apartment door. Baljeet looked up at him, a huge grin on his face as he responded excitedly. Buford shut his door and Baljeet walked into his apartment, noticing immediately the completely black furniture and walls.

“Really, Vanesa? You have got to be kidding me.” Baljeet muttered to himself. He walked past the furniture dragging his fingertips against each piece gently, turning the black upholstery to a less gaudy white.

“It took me a whole day to pick out that furniture, leave it alone!” Vanessa’s voice sounded throughout his apartment and Baljeet jumped, knocking over a stack of books that he was trying to revert to their original colour.

“What? Where are you?” Baljeet asked, looking around. He expected Vanessa to be sat in the corner, her wand held in her hand. She’d done that before, shown up in Baljeet’s room and sat ominously in the corner until Baljeet noticed her.

Baljeet sat on his couch and waited for Vanessa’s voice to greet him again. “I’m still at home, but I’m talking through the Great Book, I stole it from the council.”

_“Stole it from the council,”_ Baljeet mocked, “I know Ferb just gave it to you, you do not need to lie.”

“Shut up, Baljeet. How did things go today?” Vanessa asked. Baljeet could imagine Vanessa leaning back in her chair, wand lazily hanging in her fingers as she stared at the Great Book. And then he thought about the fact that Ferb was also there, looking at Vanessa like a love-sick puppy. Baljeet smiled.

“Fine. I could literally _feel_ the love pouring out of Django. It was almost sickening.” Baljeet said. He pulled his backpack onto his lap and dumped it onto the coffee table. He sorted through his stuff, organizing the clothes from the small nick-nacks he brought with him. He had a picture of Phineas, Isabella and himself from the past year’s barbecue, Phineas' mouth stuffed with mashed potato, and Isabella smiling with barbeque sauce smeared near her mouth. It was a gross picture, but it was Baljeet’s favourite. 

“Did you make any progress?” Vanessa asked. Baljeet could hear rustling and Vanessa mumbling quietly. Then he heard her get up, and Vanessa talking to someone. She was being formal, and Baljeet’s eyes widened. Vanessa was a top dog, and she only ever formal with members of the council. If they had caught her with the Great Book, she’d have her wings taken away.

“Bye Baljeet,” he heard Ferb whisper, followed by a loud thud. He assumed that Ferb had shut the book, cutting off the connection between his apartment in the mortal world and home. He sighed and stood up from the couch. Baljeet began walking around again, changing things from black to white when there was a knock on his door. 

It was Buford, standing outside with a questioning look on his face “You okay?”

“Of course, why would I not be?” Baljeet asked, his mouth going dry. Could he hear Vanessa talking to him? _Yeah, that was just my boss. No, she is not here right now, I was talking to her through a book._

“I heard a thud, I thought ‘ya had fallen or something. Maybe the ghost of old Miss Johnson got you.” Buford winked cheekily and Baljeet rolled his eyes. He’d forgotten about the ghost story until then, and he silently cursed at Buford for bringing it back up.

“Oh, no I am fine. I dropped a book.” Buford looked at him skeptically. “It was a remarkably massive book.”

“Well, then goodnight I guess. Don’t let the ghost possess you. Miss Johnson was sorta annoying- rest in peace.” Baljeet laughed and closed the door, shaking his head. He walked back to the couch and pulled Buford’s file into his lap. He read through it again, trying to pull any information from it that he could to try and make him fall for Django.

Baljeet fell asleep on the couch, the papers falling off his stomach and scattering around the floor as he rolled over. Baljeet groaned, telling himself he’d just pick them up in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter two of cupid! I tried to make them seem more like ‘Buford' and 'Baljeet’ hence, Buford working at a filming studio (a reference to ep. "Act Your Age") I sure hope I didn't overdo it. If you enjoyed it, why not leave a comment or Kudos; it certainly makes me happy. Criticisms are welcome.
> 
> words 1703  
> characters 9916


	4. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, I would be rich.
> 
> This chapter is a shorter chapter, but my favourite so far. I hope you like it too, enjoy!

> **Three**

Baljeet was intelligent and had always passed his tests especially, back in the supernatural world. He was excellent with logic but not so much with unpredictability like love; which was not too much of an achievement, as he, of course, was a matchmaker. Even with his knowledge, however, he knew little to none about the mortal world as he didn’t read much about household appliances, much less have an experience with them. So, he found himself burnt by the oven, and somehow a broken toilet. Of course, he could magic away the angry red burn mark and look up how to fix the toilet yet instead, he sat on the floor and cried.

That's just how Baljeet worked. He felt like a failure, he couldn't make anyone fall in love, hell, he couldn't even take a shit without messing something up. So instead of looking up how to help himself, or even trying to work his way around the problem, he just cried. Baljeet turned around to face the stereo system, another thing he wasn't quite sure how to use. He reached forward and pressed the glowing red button, and immediately music blasted from the speakers, flooding the apartment with sound.

Baljeet leapt forward, shaking his hands attempting to turn off the music. It was loud, much too loud, and he was afraid he'd wake up the neighbours. A banging on Baljeet's door pulled him away from the stereo system, and he rubbed at his eyes fervently before pulling open the door.

Buford rushed into the apartment without Baljeet inviting him in and turned down the stereo. Baljeet looked over at him, eyes still a little bleary. Buford's shirt was wrinkled and pulled halfway onto his torso like he'd thrown it on in a rush to get next door to turn off the music. Buford turned around and tried to run some of the sleep out of his eyes.

"Baljeet, it's seven fucking a.m. on a Saturday. _What are you doing?_ " Buford asked, pulling his hands away from his face. Baljeet stood in front of him and shrugged meekly. 

"I do not know. I did not apprehend that it would be that turbulent. I do not understand how to work that thing." Baljeet spat ‘ _that thing_ ’ like the words were fire on his tongue. Buford bit his tongue to hold back a laugh, but he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. "What? It is not funny."

"It's a little funny," Buford said, letting out a small giggle. (Do boys giggle? Baljeet wasn't sure. Phineas giggled, but Phineas was also part pixie. Buford didn't seem like the type to giggle.) Buford turned the stereo off completely and walked back towards the door.

"Give me a few more hours of sleep, and I'll come back over to teach ‘ya how to use this. It's a good system, you just need to know how to use it. I'll be back around one, do you care if Django comes over?" Buford asked, already standing in the doorway of his apartment.

"Django? Yes, bring him, that would be perfect." Buford looked at Baljeet oddly, but the boy just smiled at him. He was going to get to see Buford and Django together again. That would help him make Buford fall in love. Maybe Django knew how to fix his toilet. "I will see you later!" 

* * *

Baljeet paced around his apartment, checking over the list in his head. He'd turned everything from black to white, he'd magicked his toilet back to normal, he made sure his bow and arrows were stowed away in his closet where no one could see them. Baljeet had done everything to make sure that Buford and Django wouldn't find out that he was cupid's assistant.

Baljeet opened the door hesitantly when Buford knocked on it like he was afraid one of the two men would bite him. He smiled at Buford and Django before opening the door enough for them to barely slip inside the apartment. Buford immediately went to work on the stereo system, playing around with the dials while Django flopped onto his couch. Baljeet watched Django watching Buford, and it brought a small smile to his face. He loved the idea of love.

"Okay, Baljeet, c’mere," Buford said, scooting beside the stereo system. Baljeet sat down in front of it and listened to Buford as he told him what everything did, and how to plug his phone into it. Baljeet glanced over his shoulder every few minutes to see Django hardly looking at them, instead, he glared at the door.

Baljeet realized then that maybe having both of them over was a bad idea. Of course, it may have been worse to invite Buford over by himself, because then Django may have thought it was a date. Which it definitely was not. Baljeet just didn't know how to use anything that wasn't powered by love and pixie dust.

"So, how long have you two been friends?" Baljeet asked, playing around with the stereo. Buford was monitoring him closely, not wanting to have his eardrums blown out for the second time that day.

"Unfortunately, I’ve known this loser since I was nine," Buford said, smiling goofily when Django threw a pillow at him. Baljeet smiled at their interaction, accidentally pressing the volume up too much, sending loud music spewing out of the speakers. He jumped backwards, away from the stereo, and Buford rushed to turn it down.

"God, Buford," Django said, rolling over into his stomach. "I hate you."

Buford stuck his tongue out and pushed Baljeet away from the stereo, not trusting him to not burst their eardrums. "You love me, don't lie."

Django sighed and watched Buford as he turned around. "Yeah, yeah I know," Django said. Buford laughed and flipped through the radio stations, Django watching him the entire time. Baljeet bets that you could ask Django anything about Buford and his eyes would light up as he told you all about him. Baljeet grinned to himself at the thought, and Django raised his eyebrows at him.

"What are you grinning about, smiley?" Django asked, resituating himself on the couch. Baljeet smiled at him, and Django smiled back.

"Just thinking about love, and how beautiful it is." Buford snorted from beside him, slapping a hand over his mouth to retain the ugly laughs spilling out of him. Django himself chuckled, but only because Buford was laughing too. "What, it is not funny. Love is something everyone experiences at least once, is it wrong to think about it?"

Baljeet expected Buford to say something extremely sexist, like _you're a man, Baljeet, and you're thinking about love. It's funny, usually only pining tween girls think about shit like that_. But his answer was much, much more disheartening. "I've never been in love, there's no need for me to think about it."

The easy smiles on both Baljeet and Django's faces slowly fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter three of cupid, and thank you to those who left the kudos! As always, please leave a comment/ kudos if you enjoyed the read. I’ll try to update once or twice per day but sometimes updates may take up to a week.
> 
> words 1117  
> characters 6435


	5. four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything about Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, Bujeet would have their own spin-off show
> 
> tw// short mention of suicide  
> But no one dies, don’t worry!

> **Four**

Baljeet sighed and rubbed at his face, glaring down at the file in his lap. He had been sure that all Buford needed was a slight push in the right direction, but now he was _sure_ Buford needed a forceful shove into Django's arms, he was becoming discouraged. Vanessa had promised to help him as much as she could, but Baljeet was still unsure as to whether or not he would complete the mission. Baljeet knew he was shit at playing the love doctor, he knew that he would be better suited as a nymph or even a fairy, but he couldn't help that both his mother and father had been matchmakers. He was born into the profession, and there was nothing he could do to change that fact. For the time being, Baljeet was just going to have to try his best to help Django so he could keep his wings.

A soft ring rang out through the apartment and Baljeet perked up, immediately recognizing the sound The Great Book makes when trying to connect the mortal world to the supernatural world. He shoved the file off his lap and sat patiently, waiting for Vanessa's voice to appear. Suddenly Baljeet heard the beginnings of a conversation, and upon listening for a minute he realized he was _eavesdropping_ in the middle of a conversation, a conversation he wasn't supposed to hear.

"You can't just _steal_ his wings, it's unjust," Vanessa said. Baljeet immediately recognized the frustration in her voice, and Baljeet leant forward as if he too was sitting at the large table in the council hall, not on a black bean bag chair in his room.

"It's not stealing, Vanessa. It's a revocation of his wings due to carelessness." Baljeet made a squeak of protest, and he prayed that whoever had rung him set it up so the council couldn't hear him. "Carelessness, and inability to set any two people together. He couldn't even make a married couple fall in love, Vanessa. We can't keep him around when there are millions of other families having children that can and _will_ perform better than him."

"He's trying and you're not even giving him a proper chance!" Vanessa yelled. Baljeet flinched – Vanessa _never_ yelled. "He's been on this mission for two days, give him more time!"

Baljeet sighed and picked himself up off the beanbag chair. He shrugged off the jacket Vanessa gave him, watching as the enchanted leather fell to the floor and his wings appeared. They were short and stubby, hardly protruding father than his shoulders. The bottom feathers were torn and tattered from numerous crash landings and years of being smashed between two idiots who loved group hugs. (Baljeet had cried the first time Isabella and Phineas had crinkled his feathers, thinking that he would never be able to fly again. He was only nine at the time, yet he still cringes at the memory.)

"We cannot afford to have him fail this mission, Vanessa." Baljeet glared at his wings, purposely flitting them pathetically. Perhaps he didn't deserve his wings. He hadn't taken proper care of them, nor had he done anything to actually _earn_ his wings.

"He won't, I'll make sure he doesn't. But don't give up on him yet." Baljeet was completely tuned out of the conversation, hearing but not really absorbing anything. He shook his wings out, and he could practically hear the organ wheezing from days of rest and suffocation under the heavy jacket.

"I wonder," Baljeet whispered to himself, flapping his wings slightly. Would they still work in the mortal world? Baljeet jumped off the ground a little and squealed in delight as he hovered in the air. He dropped back down onto the ground and grabbed his jacket, watching as the magic covered his wings once more. He almost frowned, but then remembered what he was set out to do, and smiled brightly.

Baljeet ran out of his apartment and to the elevator. He danced around waiting for it to open before remembering that he was not at home, and he had to press the button to make the seemingly magic box appear. Baljeet slammed his thumb against the button and giggled to himself when the elevator dinged. Part of him loved the mortal world and all its fun noises, but he didn't love the fact that he always had to remember a key to get into his room.

Baljeet looked at all the buttons in the elevator, trying to decide which one would take him to the roof. He started pressing all of them until every button was lit up. The elevator jerked him around, opening up on random floors that looked to be nowhere near where he wanted to be. Finally, after five tries, the elevator opened up a small hallway and a sign that said ' _roof access_ ' and a big red arrow. Baljeet stepped out of the elevator and quickly ran up the staircase, shoving the door open with all his might.

The cool air immediately whipped into his hair and Baljeet smiled. This was perfect flying weather. _Let the wind carry you_ , Baljeet's mom had told him when he was learning how to fly, _it is much easier that way, and you do not have to do any work_.

Baljeet hopped onto the ledge of the building and looked out over the city. It was nearing the end of the day and the car headlights and restaurant signs burned brightly, lighting up the busy streets. Baljeet moved to take his jacket off, his wings itching under the fabric when a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist and dragged him away from the edge.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" Baljeet looked up at the person holding onto him and blushed when he saw that it was Django, glaring down at him harshly.

"T-this is not what it looks like, Django, I swear." Baljeet stuttered out, pulling away from the older boy. He was embarrassed, blood spreading from the tips of his ears to his toes. Django looked really, really mad, and Baljeet didn't have a good explanation as to why he was about to throw himself off the roof.

"Really? Because to me, it looks like you were about to jump off the goddamn _building_. Are you fucking crazy?" Django asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Baljeet wrinkled his nose – Django's file said nothing about him being such a potty mouth. Baljeet was uncomfortable.

"Would you stop cursing for like two seconds, please," Baljeet said, reaching up to tug at his hair. He didn't have a plan in case anyone had caught him, he didn't think anyone would be on the roof. "Why are you on the roof anyway?"

"Why were you about to throw yourself off the roof?" Django fired back, sass dripping off his tongue in practically visible waves. _Because I was trying to fly,_ Baljeet wanted to say, but that would make him look even worse.

"I asked you first," Baljeet said meekly. Django rolled his eyes and turned around, pointing towards a small alcove. Baljeet squinted and saw a small box that was sparking slightly.

"My cable went out, figured it was because of the wind. If it blows a certain way it flips the breaker. I came up here to fix it, thank god I didn't send Buford like I usually do. He would have killed you." Django said. He started walking back towards the box and Baljeet followed behind him.

"I thought you did not live in this apartment complex? And why would Buford have killed me? He does not seem like a violent sort." Baljeet knew that was a lie, Buford seemed rather intimidating to him, but Baljeet was also weak in spirit so everyone intimidated him.

"I practically live with Buford, the idiot couldn't even take care of a goldfish and somehow lost it when he was ten. I'm forever afraid he'll go weeks forgetting to eat or shower. He buries himself in his work, it's not healthy." Django sighed and shook his head, and Baljeet could see just how much Django worried about the older boy. "And as for the killing you bit, Buford doesn't tolerate stupidity. He believes that if someone wants to die, the least they can do is try to help themselves before ruining the lives of everyone around them. Suicide does more than just end the life of the one committing, Baljeet. Think about your parents, siblings, friends, even the people you used to go to school with. What would they do without you, and your snarky comments, and your fucking _blinding ass smile_? Even though Buford and I just met you, we'd both be upset. Suicide doesn't just affect you, Baljeet."

"Oh," Baljeet said quietly, looking over his shoulder at the ledge. He hadn't been expecting all of that, maybe just a ‘ _Buford doesn't like sad people_ ,’ but not a whole spiel about people who care about him and how Buford and Django _already_ cared about him. Baljeet almost smiled, but then realized he was being lectured and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Don't be an idiot Baljeet, people care about you. People who have anything bad to say don't matter. Keep that in mind." Django said. Baljeet nodded and watched as Django punched at the box repeatedly until it stopped sparking. "I'm going to head back down, you're not going to try and toss yourself off the roof again, right?"

"That is not what I was doing–" Baljeet bit down on his tongue and nodded a few times. Django squeezed his shoulder once and nodded before leaving the roof. Baljeet immediately ran back to the edge of the roof and shrugged off his jacket. He kicked it under a miscellaneous cardboard box and shook out his wings. The wind felt nice blowing through his feathers, and Baljeet sighed in content.

"Here goes nothing," Baljeet whispered before jumping off the building. His wings caught in the wind and carried him to the next building, and Baljeet grinned happily. If there was one thing he loved more than Vanessa's special fairy dust cakes, it was flying. Usually, he had Phineas or Isabella with him so it wasn't very peaceful, but flying above the noisy city by himself calmed him down and cleared his head. He may not be the best matchmaker of the bunch, but he'd make Buford fall in love. He'd get Django his happily ever after. He was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was the chapter? Did you like it, I hope it didn't make anyone uncomfortable. Also- thank you especially, to those who sent comments/ kudos yesterday! As always, leave a comment/ kudos if you enjoyed it. Updates may slow down due to schoolwork
> 
> words 1758  
> characters 10001


	6. five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve had a Monty and Vanessa break-up episode.

> **Five**

Baljeet was lying on his couch watching television, trying to think up a plan to get Django and Buford together when Buford came bursting into his apartment. Baljeet looked up slightly and flipped his head back down onto the cushion when he realized it was only his brunet neighbour. For the week that Baljeet had been living next door, Buford had come into his apartment unannounced about four times to do things like using the bathroom or crawling out onto the balcony so he could break into his own apartment. Baljeet figured he'd walk in and walk out, so he was surprised when Buford picked up his legs and sat down next to him before plopping his legs back into his lap.

"What is up?" Baljeet asked, reaching to turn down the television. He looked at Buford and tucked an arm under his head. Buford just shook his head and grabbed the remote out of Baljeet's hands and turned the television back up, louder than Baljeet had had it originally.

"You seem upset," Baljeet stated, toeing Buford's stomach softly to get his attention. Baljeet shifted slightly, not realizing that he had his jacket off, and only a thin blanket to cover his shoulders.

"Just a little stressed out, got in a fight with Django today ‘bout a scene and he's not talking to me. Needed a break, figured you weren't doing anything, came here ‘cause Django’s in my apartment." Buford said. Although his sentences were usually short and choppy Baljeet could tell there was something wrong, and if Baljeet knew any better, he'd say the older boy didn't want to talk about it. Baljeet had a bad habit of not knowing any better.

"Perhaps, you would like to talk abou–" Buford shook his head no and Baljeet bit his tongue, eyebrows scrunched together in thought. He was trying to remember what Buford's file had said he'd liked to do, but Baljeet couldn't remember if Buford actually liked to do anything. Suddenly an idea sparked in the back of his mind, and he jumped off the couch quickly. The blanket fell away from his shoulders and he was immediately reminded that he had wings protruding out of his shoulder blades and dropped to the floor before Buford could see.

Baljeet curled the blanket around himself and stood back up. Buford had an eyebrow raised at him and Baljeet smiled innocently. "Give me two seconds, I will grab something and then we will go somewhere else."

Baljeet ran back to his room and grabbed his jacket, sliding it over his shoulders quickly. He looked in the mirror and pushed around his hair until he felt like it looked semi-decent and walked back into the living room, where Buford was still sitting on the couch, watching an infomercial for a smoothie machine.

"Come on, I do not know when they close," Baljeet said. He opened his door for Buford and ushered him out into the hallway. Baljeet bounced excitedly to the front doors, Buford walking behind him, looking bored as ever but amused at Baljeet's antics.

Baljeet led them to a cafe he'd found when he was out exploring one day. It was all pink and reminded him of Isabella, and Baljeet had been waiting forever to go in, but he didn't want to go alone. So he ran inside, Buford following after him. Baljeet walked right up to the counter and propped his elbows on the counter, looking up at the menu board.

"Have you ever been here before, Buford?" Baljeet asked. Buford smiled to himself when Baljeet mentioned him and shook his head. "Well, then it will be the first for both of us!"

"I recommend the cupcakes, they're baked fresh every hour and these just came out of the oven." The girl behind the counter said. Baljeet looked at her then back at Buford, who shrugged his shoulders. Baljeet ordered two of them and ran to sit at a table while Buford waited for her to get them out of the display cases. "I bet he's a joy to be around, how long have you been together?"

"Yeah– wait, what?" Buford asked, looking at the girl incredulously. She pushed the cupcakes towards him and Buford handed over the money Baljeet had put in his hands.

"This is a couples cafe... can't you tell by the fact everything is bright pink and nearly all the menu items have the word love in them?" She pointed to the menu board above her head and Buford read over the items carefully. Unfortunately, every item did have the word love in it or was named after some flirty pickup line.

"Oh dear god," Buford muttered under his breath. He looked over at Baljeet who was smiling widely and looking out the window, practically bouncing in his seat. Buford just wouldn't tell him, it's not like he had to know anyhow.

Buford walked the cupcakes back to the table and handed one to Baljeet, who grabbed it excitedly. Buford sat down and shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware of the numerous couples that sat around them, holding hands and making kissy faces at each other.

"Buford, are you alright?" Baljeet asked through a mouth full of cupcakes. Some of it fell out of his mouth and onto the table and Baljeet swiped it away quickly. Buford nodded and bit off a piece of his cupcake, moaning slightly at the taste. Baljeet coughed at the sound and Buford covered his mouth.

"Sorry," Buford said, reaching over the table and slapping Baljeet once on the back. The younger boy held up a thumbs up and coughed into his hand, wheezing slightly. Buford quickly finished off the last of his cupcake and sat back in his chair, trying to ignore the obvious loud smacking noises coming from the table behind him. "Can I ask ‘ya something?"

Baljeet nodded and licked some of the icings off the top of his cupcake. It was his favourite part, he didn't much care for the bottom. "What caught your eye about this place?" Buford hadn't even known it existed until Baljeet brought him, and he'd been living in the city since he could remember.

"The colour reminds me of my friend, Isabella," Baljeet explained simply, shrugging his shoulders. Buford forced himself not to raise his eyebrows, _a girlfriend,_ Buford thought "She is a bit much sometimes, but we have been friends for years so I do not think anything is gonna change."

"Nice, nice," Buford said. Baljeet nodded and picked up some of the crumbs off the table, letting them rest in his palm. Buford watched as Baljeet sat there, crumbs in hand, staring out the window blankly. Baljeet's face slowly changed from carefree staring to drawn, closed off contemplating. Buford resisted the urge to reach over and tap his shoulder.

Baljeet abruptly stood up from the table and tossed the crumbs in the trash can. Buford followed him out of the cafe and back towards their apartment complex.

Baljeet suddenly whirled on him and Buford had to clench his toes in his shoes to keep himself from running into him. "Have you really never been in love?"

"This is important because...?" Buford asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because, well– I just, thought– never mind," Baljeet said. He turned back around and practically ran towards his apartment, forgetting about the elevator and dashing up the steps. Buford decided to take the elevator and give him some space, getting to their floor to see a bright white thing disappear into Baljeet's apartment.

Baljeet slipped into his apartment, head spinning. He had his jacket halfway off before he even opened the door, completely unconcerned with the fact other people live in the building who may not be warm to the idea of a mythical creature living among them. Baljeet threw his jacket onto the ground as soon as his door was closed and made a bee-line for the balcony, but was cut off when a loud ring exploded throughout his apartment, urging and insistent.

"You were supposed to make him fall in love with Django! Not take him to a couples cafe! There's only so much I can do to save your ass, Baljeet!" Vanessa practically screamed. Baljeet flapped his wings angrily and ignored her, heading for the balcony. "Baljeet! Listen to me!"

"I _am_ trying, Vanessa!" Baljeet yelled back. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't even care about his wings anymore, he just wanted to be done. Wings be damned. "It is not my fault that I am shit at this and that I can not do anything, but I am trying."

"I did not even know it was a couples cafe, Buford didn't seem to care either. He was just stressed and I was trying to be a good friend and—" Baljeet's chest was restricted and he wheezed. This always happened when he got upset, his chest would tighten and get heavy and he'd have to fight to breathe and calm himself down.

"The Council’s watching your every move, Baljeet. They're not happy." Vanessa said. Baljeet could hear the exasperation in her voice, but Baljeet was too focused on his own suddenly fiery hot skin to care too much. "They want me to send Phineas to help you out."

"They can do whatever they want, I do not care anymore," Baljeet said, beating at his chest to try to loosen the knot growing there. He flapped his wings experimentally, wondering if flying would make it better or worse. He decided that anything was better than standing in his living room listening to Vanessa yell at him, so he walked towards the balcony and stood upon the rail.

"You can't tell me that you don't care, Baljeet. I know you don't want to lose your wings. I also know that you still want to prove to everyone that you deserve your job, so please help yourself and try a little harder." Vanessa said, but Baljeet was already gone, flying through the air, trying to clear his mind. "Baljeet? Baljeet– goddamnit, Ferb call Phineas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I love all my readers, please don’t be a silent reader. Kudos/ comments motivate me and help me grow, thank you! Also, I’m thinking of starting a one-chapter fanfic. I’m not sure about who yet, but it would definitely be in the same fandom. Don’t worry it won’t affect cupid’s schedule. There's probably be a double update tomorrow, but no promises.
> 
> words 1680  
> characters 9700


	7. six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve seen a solo Ferb episode.
> 
> This was a pre-written chapter that I planned to post tomorrow as part of the double update. However, I figured I'd need more than a day to plan out the next chapter, write it and edit it. So as a consolation, I double updated today I may finish the next chapter tomorrow but I'm not sure yet.

> **Six**

"Jeet!" Baljeet flipped out of his bed, immediately being defensive. Usually, if Buford had to wake him up in the morning he would start by turning on the radio, not _shouting in his fucking ear_. But when Baljeet peeled open a sleep-sealed eye he was not met with his brunet neighbor, but his red-haired, best friend.

"Phineas!" Baljeet yelled, throwing his arms around the boy. It had taken the Council approximately three hours to send Phineas packing, but it had taken another day and a half for Phineas to figure out where he was and where he needed to be. Phineas latched onto his friend, noticing for the first time that his wings had disappeared.

"Baljeet, your wings, where are they?" Phineas asked. He slipped off his own enchanted jacket, thinking that maybe the mortal world had stripped them from their beings, but like every other time Phineas needed them, his bright white wings spread across his back and hung in the air, ready to use. Baljeet reached his hand behind himself and ran his fingers across his shoulder blades.

"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh _no_." Baljeet whispered, pushing Phineas out of the way of his mirror. Baljeet turned in panicked circles, staring at his bareback. The Council had taken his wings. Baljeet wanted to cry, and scream, and forget about the stupid mission and let the Council exile him all at the same time. But mostly he wanted to prove to the bastards that he could do this, he could make Buford fall in love with Django. Even if he _did_ need a little help.

"Hey, at least you don't have to wear the jacket anymore," Phineas said, trying to bring life back to his friend’s emotionless face.

"I guess that is true, it was quite _itchy_." Baljeet spit, glaring at himself in the mirror. Phineas looked happy with himself, like the amount of sarcasm dripping off Baljeet's tongue hadn't affected him in the least. It probably hadn't, knowing Phineas, it went right over his head to stay forever in the clouds.

"So, introduce me to the couple, would you?" Phineas asked, shrugging his coat back on. Baljeet watched enviously as his wings disappeared, but tried to think positively. At least he didn't have to try to match everything to the electric blue fabric anymore.

Baljeet slipped into a pair of pants and walked next door to Buford's apartment, where he could hear the heavy bass playing through the door. He could also hear muffled shouting and the sound of a struggle, like Django and Buford, were fighting over the computer mouse once again. Baljeet already had to magic it back to working order once, and now without his wings, he didn't know if he had any magic to do it again.

Baljeet knocked on the door lightly, immediately turning around to tell Phineas they would come back later. The door flung open and Baljeet was first relieved that both boys were still alive, but also terrified that they were going to meet Phineas, the most invasive person on the face of the planet.

"Hey, Baljeet and friend. I like your hair." Django said, nodding at Phineas. Phineas stood there, momentarily stunned before bouncing back to his bubbly, loud self.

"Thanks, I'm Phineas! I assume you're Django?" Phineas said, holding out a sweater-covered hand. Django shook it and Baljeet watched as Phineas' cheeks dusted a light pink.

"Absolutely not!" Baljeet yelled, punching Phineas' shoulder. "Phineas, you know the laws!"

Django looked taken aback when Phineas glared at Baljeet, eyes threatening to choke him. "So do you!"

"It was an _accident_!" Baljeet hissed. He turned back to Django who was staring at them oddly before smiling. "My apologies, best friend thing. I am certain you and Buford do it all the time." Django smiled in understanding and moved to the side, ushering the two boys into the apartment.

What Baljeet had originally thought to be fighting over a scene turned out to be Mario Kart, and Buford had beaten Django for the fourth time in a row, resulting in the whining from Django. The music, Baljeet soon realized, was playing loudly out of Buford's phone to try and block out the annoying Mario tracklist.

"Baljeet... and friend! Come on, help me beat Django." Buford said, scooting down on the couch to make room. Baljeet plopped down in his usual spot on the middle cushion, but Phineas gave him a look and he moved over so Django could sit between him and Buford.

"So, Baljeet, who’s this man with fun hair?" Buford asked, not taking his eyes away from the tv screen. Buford died quickly, throwing his cart off the side of a cliff. He sighed and turned towards Phineas, who smiled brightly at him.

"I'm Phineas, nice to meet you," Phineas said, leaning a little so Buford could shake his hand.

"Nice, I'm Buford. Wanna play a round of Mario Kart? Django and I against you and Baljeet?" Buford offered, handing each of them a remote. Baljeet took his in sweat-slick hands, the reality of the situation seeping into his bones. His wings were gone, the Council had given up on him, Vanessa was probably pissed, and now Phineas was here to make everything all better. Baljeet really couldn't do anything right.

"Baljeet," Phineas snapped his fingers in front of Baljeet's face and the smaller boy jumped slightly. Phineas nudged him and nodded towards the screen, where they were waiting for him to choose his character. Baljeet picked Mario, obviously, and the race started.

There was a lot of screaming and unjust pushing on Django's part, who was trying to throw Baljeet off course physically rather than trying to beat him. Phineas came in first, due to a joke he told that made Buford laugh so hard he fell off his end of the couch.

"Rematch!" Buford yelled almost immediately. He then grabbed onto Baljeet's arm and pulled him across the couch. "Baljeet and me against Phineas and Django. Non-cheaters versus cheaters."

"I do not think–" Baljeet tried to interject.

"Yeah!" Django yelled, cutting Baljeet off. He pushed past Baljeet and flopped down next to Phineas, who was blushing profusely. Baljeet scooted away from Buford a little, just so he wasn't invading his personal space and turned back towards the television. Phineas seemed happy enough with the new arrangement, and he didn't want to seem odd for complaining.

"Let's kick some ass!" Buford yelled, picking his character and car. Django laughed and threw a pillow at his head.

"Why are you acting like such a fuckboy? Find your chill, Buford." Django said. Buford rolled his eyes and shook his head, but Baljeet could see the amusement in his features. Maybe Buford was more in love than he thought himself to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 6 of cupid; if you enjoyed please leave a comment/ kudos. Sorry for the really short chapter today. Also, Phineas seems to like Django… wonder what'll happen next. 
> 
> words 1873  
> characters 10508


	8. seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve had a fourth of July special.
> 
> I am in no way satisfied with this chapter but I thought I should update. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!

> **Seven**

Baljeet sat on his bed, listening through the wall to Django and Phineas' conversation. They had come up with a new method for getting Buford and Django together – jealousy. Baljeet was skeptical so Phineas had told him not to worry about it, that _he was the best matchmaker they'd seen in years,_ and that he'd take care of everything.

Django was laughing hysterically, and Baljeet could hear Phineas' embarrassed giggles following right after. Baljeet groaned and laid back on his bed, not really seeing the point in the whole ordeal. The only thing jealousy was going to accomplish was driving Django away from Buford and – right into Phineas' arms.

"Sneaky little shit!" Baljeet said, running a hand through his hair. Phineas had been acting differently since day one, being all blushy and stuttery and completely un-Phineas like. Baljeet wished there was a way to call Vanessa, tell him that Phineas was messing things up more than he was, but there was nothing he could do.

Baljeet stood up and grabbed his house keys, ready to march over to Buford's apartment and pull Phineas out by his ears, but a knock at his window stopped him. He glanced outside and Buford was hanging off his balcony, house keys in his mouth. Baljeet opened his window and pulled Buford inside, trying not to pull his arms out of the socket.

"I have a front door, you know," Baljeet said once Buford was sitting safely on his bed.

"D’ya really think I wanted to leave my room with tweedle dee and tweedle dumb over there, gigglin’ up a storm? No thank you." Buford rolled his eyes and Baljeet could sense just how exasperated he was. Maybe the jealousy tactic would work after all. "Anyway, I came over here to ask if you wanted to hang out. I brought Mario Kart."

Buford reached into the front of his pants and pulled out the Mario Kart disk. Baljeet couldn't help the laugh that escaped him, because how _random_ is it that someone would bring over just the disk rather than the whole case. Buford laughed too as if he realized just how odd it really was before tossing the disk on the bed.

"I'm actually kind of mad," Buford started. Baljeet looked at him expectantly, and the older boy sighed. "I've known Django for twelve years and I've never heard him laugh like that. It just irks me that some random red-haired kid – no offence, sorry – can make him laugh harder in one day than I have in _twelve years_."

Baljeet almost felt the same way. He was upset that, after not seeing him for weeks, Phineas wanted to hang out with a stranger rather than his best friend. However, the difference was that Baljeet knew his lack of time with Phineas was due to work, while Buford was left in the dark. "If it is any consolation, Phineas has not seen me in three weeks and would rather hang out with your best friend rather than me."

"Maybe we should boycott." Buford offered, sitting up from his position against the wall. "You and me against them. We can be new best friends, two, well, four, in this case, can play at that game."

Baljeet wanted to shake his head, wanted to scream _No!_ _That's a horrible idea. Do you not realize that my wings are at stake?!_ but instead he nodded and leant back on his bed. "Maybe, we should. Show them that if they are going to be new best friends, we can be best friends without them."

"And then Django will come crawling back to me, and you can get Phineas back. Easy peasy." Baljeet was less than thrilled to find out that he was just being used in a plan to get Django back, but at the same time, he couldn't be too upset, for Django and Buford were only pawns in his chess game to get his wings back.

"What's something you usually do with Phineas?" Buford asked. Baljeet shrugged and tried to think about things they did that were semi-normal. Flying was definitely off the list, as was baking with the fairies or trying to get Ferb flushed in front of Vanessa so his magic would fall out of him in glittery strands. (It always made him laugh, how the usually calm and collected Ferb would try his hardest to be manly, yet he secreted glitter when he was nervous.)

"Sometimes, we dye our hairs," Baljeet said, thinking back to the various colours that had stained his hands every few months.

"Well, then let's go to the store. Looks like I'm getting a new hair-do." Buford scooted himself off Baljeet's bed and Baljeet watched after him, wondering just how crazy one had to be to voluntarily ruin their hair just to make someone jealous. Buford checked himself out in Baljeet's mirror as he ruffled his hair. "What d’ya think, white? Pink?"

"Blonde," Baljeet answered easily. Buford looked back at him like he was nuts, hand caught in his hair mid ruffle.

"Blonde?" Buford asked. He looked back at himself in the mirror, his brown locks falling sloppily around his face.

"It will hurt more if we have to bleach it a lot. Going a super light colour straight from brown would be moronic. Blonde is a good place to start." Baljeet said, trying to salvage Buford's scalp. Buford frowned once and pulled at a strand of his hair, sighing.

"I don't like blonde. Can we do something more fun?" Buford asked. Baljeet shrugged, it was his hair after all. Buford suddenly smiled, his gums showing as he stomped excitedly. "What about white? Baljeet we could dye your hair too."

"We are not dying my hair, it just went back to natural. We may do whichever you prefer, but I think blonde would look nice." Baljeet said. He scooted to the end of his bed and slipped on his shoes, instinctively reaching for his enchanted jacket, but he let his fingers fall away from it upon realizing he didn't need it anymore.

Baljeet made Buford walk to the store, saying that it was only a block and Buford would survive the fifteen-minute walk. Buford complained the whole time, saying that his feet were going to bleed and Baljeet was going to have to pay for his hospital bills when his lungs gave out.

"Stop complaining, we are here already," Baljeet said, opening the door. He followed after Buford, letting him lead him throughout the store. When they got to the cosmetics section Buford immediately picked up a box of white hair dye and Baljeet pushed it out of his hands lightly.

"What, do you have something against white?" Buford asked, picking the box back up. Baljeet sighed and took it back, shoving it back on the shelf.

"No, I am trying to salvage your scalp. We should do the blonde, and then if you hate it we will come back and get white. But going from blonde to dyeing it white is going to make you hate yourself. Trust me, I have naturally dark hair that I dyed bright red once. It was the worst pain of my life. White would be one thousand times worse for you." Baljeet tried to reason, picking up a box of blonde hair dye. He showed it to Buford, who just huffed and left the aisle. Baljeet followed him into the snack aisle and picked up licorice, while Buford picked up a bag of chocolates.

"Liquorice is so nasty," Buford said, staring down at the package in Baljeet's hand. Baljeet shrugged and put the hair dye and licorice on the counter. He felt around in his pockets for the wallet Vanessa had given him, but Buford was tossing money down on the counter before he could take it out of his pocket. "You're going to dye my hair, let me at least pay for your snacks."

Baljeet nodded and let Buford pay, and forcefully gave up the bag after Buford insisted on carrying it. Baljeet whistled softly as they walked back to their apartment, a tune that his mother used to sing him when he was little. Baljeet missed her, it'd been a while since he'd seen her, and now that he was in the mortal world he had absolutely no way to contact her. He didn't have a way to contact anyone unless Vanessa called him first.

"Ya good?" Buford asked, brushing his hand on Baljeet's shoulder. Baljeet stopped whistling and nodded, letting his hair fall in front of his eyes.

"I just miss my family, that is all." Baljeet shrugged and Buford nodded, flipping the bag awkwardly from one hand to the next.

"I know how ‘ya feel. I left my family in Danville to come here for work, which isn’t too far away but it’s too great a distance to walk to. I think it's been a year or so since I've actually sat down with my family and talked about family things, usually, we just have short phone calls about gatherings I can't make it to, or birthday's that I‘d accidentally forgotten." Buford sighed and shook his head before smiling softly and looking at Baljeet. "But enough about me, tell me ‘bout your family and friends back home."

"Well, I just recently moved out of my parent’s house to live with Phineas and our other friend Isabella," Baljeet said, choosing his words carefully. He had to be cautious, he didn't want to accidentally say something that would give away the fact that he once had wings, or that he was a part pixie. "My parents are great, I think out of all the time I have been on this earth, and all the love I have seen come and go, that my parents are the strongest."

"My mom is kind of crazy, you see. She would always yell at my dad for no reason, but instead of feeding off her anger he would just nod and go, _'yes dear, I totally understand.'_ Then, when she was done having her moment she would apologize and that would be the end of it." Baljeet smiled as he thought of his parents. “They both work for each other. I know it sounds quite mushy, but I want that, you know? I know I would not ever have it because of my job, but that is what I want. I want true love."

Baljeet didn't realize they'd arrived back at their apartment until Buford was opening the door so he could walk inside. He blushed when he realized that he'd rambled the whole rest of the way home, and opened his mouth to apologize when Buford cut him off.

"Ya know, Baljeet, I never really believed in love. I always thought that it was a hoax, that people said they were in love and got married just so they didn't have to be alone. You're starting to make me think a little differently."

Baljeet smiled widely, proud of himself. "That has always been my goal. To make everyone believe that there is love for them out there. Because there is if you look hard enough for it." Baljeet stopped for a second to press the elevator button before looking back at Buford. "And sometimes, it is right in front of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter 7 of cupid. Oh boy, what a chapter this was! By far the hardest to write and edit, halfway through I thought if dyeing his hair would be the right step. Trust me it is, it’ll be something that stays… when things happen. Leave a comment/ kudos if you enjoyed !!
> 
> words 1891  
> characters 10563


	9. eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would’ve been more Vanessa and Ferb episodes.
> 
> This is a long chapter to make up for the sucky chapter yesterday.

> **Eight**

"Ow, Baljeet, that fuckin’ hurts." Buford hissed. Baljeet sighed as he rubbed the bleach into Buford's hair.

"I have previously informed you it _was_ going to sting, but you did not believe me," Baljeet said. He put the shower cap snuggly on Buford's head and laughed at how silly he looked. Buford glared at him from his position on the toilet and Baljeet smiled at him. "We will allow the bleach to relax for a few minutes and then rinse it out so we could set the actual dye in."

"Alright, hand me my chocolate." Buford held his hand out for the candy and Baljeet dropped him a few pieces. Buford shoved them all into his mouth, and Baljeet took it as a chance to talk about Django.

"Do you believe Django would preferably hang out with Phineas than you? I mean, you have been friends for a long time, and I am quite positive he likes you a lot more than he likes anyone else. Have you noticed the way he–"

"Baljeet, stop," Buford said, resting his hand on Baljeet's wrist. Baljeet looked down at him and sighed. Buford shook his head and clicked his tongue. "It's pointless anyway, Django’s always making other friends, I'm used to him leaving once in a while."

Baljeet's eyes widened a little, thinking he'd made a breakthrough. Of course, he thought, _Django tries to get over Buford by making friends and distancing himself from him. Why didn't I think of that?_ "Does it make you exasperate when Django gains new people to hang out with?"

"What is this?" Buford asked, wiping some fairy dust off the back of the toilet. Baljeet's heart caught in his throat and he hurriedly pushed all of it onto the floor, ignoring the fact that Buford had changed the subject.

"Nothing, it is nothing," Baljeet said. He laughed awkwardly and continued wiping off the now clean toilet, Buford watching him with amusement.

"It's okay, Baljeet, ‘ya could’ve told me you were into drag." Buford chuckled to himself and Baljeet blushed a deep red and punched Buford's shoulder.

"Do not test me, I could ruin your hair right now," Baljeet said. Buford pretended to zip his lips closed and sat back on the toilet. Baljeet could hear Django and Phineas laughing loudly next door. He rolled his eyes and sighed, Phineas was ruining the plan, and if Vanessa yelled at him for messing things up, he couldn't even fathom what he had in store for Phineas.

Suddenly the laughing stopped and the familiar rings from the Great Book erupted throughout the apartment. "Shit," Baljeet muttered to himself, putting down his licorice. Buford looked up from his phone, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"What’s tha–" Buford started.

"Baljeet go get Phineas _right now_!" Vanessa practically yelled. Baljeet could tell she was furious, and Baljeet could only think of the stupid things Phineas could have possibly done.

"Vanessa, I am kind of busy, and there is someone in my apartment," Baljeet said, trying to make it seem like he wasn't talking to no one. Buford was looking around the bathroom for Baljeet's cellphone, but Baljeet didn't have a cellphone, he didn't even have a landline.

"Baljeet, I won’t tell you again, go get Phineas. _Now_." Vanessa said. Baljeet nodded to no one in particular and held his hand out for Buford's house keys. Buford dropped them into his palm and Baljeet ran out of his apartment as quickly as he could.

Baljeet burst into Buford's apartment to see Django and Phineas making out on the couch. Baljeet dropped the keys on the floor and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Baljeet," Phineas said, pulling away from Django. Baljeet just looked between the two of them, his mouth agape.

"You have only known him for _three days_!" Baljeet said, flipping his arms around manically. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but betrayal was definitely one of them. Phineas just looked at him, and Django looked at him as if he had seen a ghost. Baljeet was furious. Phineas had been sent to help him, not kiss one of the people he was trying to make fall in love. "You– you asshole!"

"Baljeet, seriously–" Baljeet left the apartment abruptly, leaving the door open and Django and Phineas staring after him.

"I didn't know you guys were a thing," Django said, Phineas shook his head and flopped down on the couch next to Django.

Baljeet stomped back over to Buford's apartment and picked up Buford's keys off the floor. "We are _not_ a thing. You may have him, I do not fucking care. I suppose I do not matter anyway. You never had a desire to support me."

"Is this about your _wings_?" Phineas gaped, climbing off the couch. He poked Baljeet in the chest and squinted his eyes. "How selfish can you get? I would kill not to have this life, I would die to be normal, to be able to fall in love and get married. Take advantage of this, Baljeet. Maybe you're better off a human."

"I do not believe you, you were supposed to help me! Do you even consider I would be stuck here forever? Did you even consider that you are breaking the laws? Do you—"

Baljeet felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Buford, shower cap still on his head and a gentle smile on his face. "Baljeet, enough. Your friend is talking my ear off, I need you back."

"You're dying his hair? You dye my hair." Phineas said, grabbing one of his pink locks as if to prove his point. He looked suddenly deflated like someone had taken a pin and pushed it right into his chest where the anger was building and let it all flow out of him like a river.

"Yes, and I take shits in the bathroom. Thank you, captain obvious." Baljeet pushed past Buford into the hallway and went back to his apartment, where Vanessa was still talking angrily. She was ranting about Isabella getting stuck in things, and how Ferb kept breaking things.

"Vanessa, I am sorry, but I have to wash out Buford now, I have to go," Baljeet said. Buford leant his head over the bathtub and Baljeet scraped the bleach out of his hair, watching it wash down the drain.

"Did you get Phineas? Let me talk to him." Vanessa said. Baljeet wrapped a towel around Buford's head and sighed.

"No, he is still next door with Django. I am not bothering with him anymore, I will handle it by myself." Baljeet ran his hands through Buford's hair and shook it out. "What do you think, should we still do blonde?"

Buford got off the toilet and looked at himself in Baljeet's mirror, running his fingers through his wet hair. "No, I think blonde. Let's do blonde."

"Alright, I could do that." Baljeet put the gloves back on and squeezed the dye into Buford's hair. He rubbed it around, not missing the way Buford seemed to lean into his touch.

"Are ‘ya and Phineas a thing?" Buford asked suddenly. Baljeet sighed and shook his head.

"Once in a blue moon. We used to like one another but it had flittered out because of work stuff. We had assumed that if work did not allow us to date, other people, we would have to date each other. We found out that is not allowed either. We will probably both die alone. Well, maybe not Phineas, he would find a male or a female to fall in love with and I will have nine cats all named after the dwarves from the _Lord of the Rings_."

"You won't die alone, Baljeet. You'll find a boy or a girl to love and you’ll live together ‘till you're old and decrepit and have to wear diapers. You may still have cats, but you won't be alone, I promise." Buford said. Baljeet grabbed the shower cap and slipped it back over Buford's head.

"You and Phineas were a thing?" Vanessa's voice rang out. Baljeet jumped and brought a hand to his chest, ruining his white shirt with dye. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"Dear God, Vanessa, I did not know you were still here," Baljeet said. Buford laughed slightly and Baljeet glared at him. Baljeet leant against the door frame and pulled off his gloves as he listened to Vanessa ramble about how no one ever tells her anything, and that she always feels out of the loop. "Vanessa, seriously, may we talk later?"

"Sure, sure, whatever, no one ever wants to talk to me." Vanessa promptly closed the book and Baljeet shook his head.

"She is such a drama queen sometimes," Baljeet said. Buford just nodded and went back to typing on his phone. Baljeet busied himself picking at his cuticles while Buford's hair dye sat.

"Is it done?" Buford asked every few minutes. Baljeet was exasperated by the time Buford's phone dinged, indicating that his hair had it long enough and they could wash it out. Baljeet practically ripped Buford's hair out as he washed the dye out of it, and Buford grabbed onto his wrists. "Hey, you alright?"

"Perfect, let me finish this or it will set weird. You do not want your hair a weird colour, do you?" Baljeet said, shaking out Buford's hair. Buford let him, watching as various emotions ran over his face.

"You like him, don't you? You like Phineas." Buford said once his hair was done and the risk of Baljeet ripped his hair out was gone. Baljeet laughed dryly and shook his head.

"No, no I do not like him. He infuriates me off to no end, and I despise him, and he is annoying, but I love him– platonically. He is my best friend. If we were together, it would be like incest." Baljeet said, laughing at his past self for thinking that he and Phineas would work out. "You would not understand, but I feel betrayed at the moment. I can not tell you why, which is shit, but– you know what, never mind. Never fucking mind."

"I've never heard you curse this much." Buford sounded amused, but Baljeet was far from it. He glared at Buford for a fraction of a second, his fingers twitching to grab his face and punch him. Or kiss him. Baljeet wasn't sure, but he wanted to unleash his anger on Buford somehow, and how it ended for Buford had yet to be decided. Maybe he should kiss Buford as a sort of revenge on Phineas. Baljeet wasn't quite sure what it would accomplish, but he'd do it if it meant making Phineas mad. "Look, I'm gonna go home and send Phineas over here. You two are gonna talk, and everything’s gonna be okay. Okay?"

"Fine, but if I kill him _you_ _are_ paying for the funeral," Baljeet said. Buford laughed and flashed him a quick smile before leaving the apartment. Phineas arrived soon after he left and the two of them looked at each other for a few seconds before Phineas frowned.

"I'm sorry," Phineas said, moving towards Baljeet to hug him. Baljeet stepped backwards, nearly tripping over his couch and shook his head.

"You– you are going to make it so I never have my wings back. I know that Django is going to fall for you, it is in your magic. I am going to fail the mission and never get my wings back and it is going to be your fault." Baljeet said, wrapping his arms around himself.

Phineas dropped his arms and shook his head, laughing to himself. "Well maybe, if you hadn't already fucked up your chances at not failing the mission I wouldn't be here. It's not all me, Baljeet. You can't blame me for something that isn't my fault."

"You did not have to kiss him!" Baljeet yelled, stomping his foot. "If you would have stayed in your lane, this would not have happened!"

"I think you're just jealous I never liked you back. Now that I've found someone that might like me back you can't take it." Phineas said, disposition as calm as ever. Baljeet couldn't believe he was so calm. Not when there was so much on the line. "You know you can't fall in love, you know–"

"You have known Django for three days. You have known me for twenty years. I need to apprehend why all of a sudden, I mean nothing to you. I want to understand why Django is so important– I want to understand why, after everything we have done together, you betray me by kissing him–"

"You know what, Baljeet? You're so damn worried about yourself that you can't see straight. Can't you see that you're living every matchmaker’s dream? To be able to fall in love with someone who doesn't have wings? To be able to live like an actual person, to be able to put your own happiness first? I know you want your wings back, but I can't even begin to fathom why. You're living the dream, Baljeet. I won't see you throw it away over a pair of feathers attached to your back." Phineas said. Baljeet had tuned him out, knowing that he was going to call Baljeet selfish. Baljeet didn't want love if it meant he couldn't have his wings. If that meant he was self-absorbed then so be it, but he needed his wings. He needed to show them– everyone– that he deserved his wings just as much as the next person.

"This is not about having my wings, Phineas!" Baljeet yelled, exploding off the wall and grabbing onto Phineas' collar. "This is about me, Baljeet Tjinder, proving that he is not some worthless waste of space. It is about me proving to you, Vanessa, my parents and the Council that I can _do this_. I may need help, everyone needs help now and again, but this has to work out for me, Phineas. I can not leave this world a loser. If they decide to take my wings away permanently then fine, but I have to prove them wrong. I have to."

Baljeet let go of Phineas's collar and ran his hands over his face, dropping to a crouched position on the floor. He felt Phineas hovering over him for a few seconds and then he heard the door shut softly. Baljeet wanted to cry. He'd messed up the best friendship he'd ever had for nothing. Who cares about wings when you have no one to fly with? Who cares about being able to love when there is no one to love you back?

Baljeet felt a pair of arms wrap loosely around him, and the smell of fresh hair dye assaulted his nostrils as Buford laid his chin on Baljeet's shoulder. "You’ll be okay, Baljeet. He'll come around. Until then, we can eat licorice and watch reruns of Keeping Up With the Kardashian's."

If Baljeet hadn't felt so horrible, he probably would have laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter eight of cupid !! Send a kudos/ comment if you’ve enjoyed the read. I’m much more satisfied with this chapter, rather than the last and I hope you are too. Phineas and Django caught making out, what are your thoughts?
> 
> words 2516  
> characters 14162


	10. nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, I’d be famous.

> **Nine**

Baljeet woke up when he heard his front door slam closed and a whispered, " _Oh shit_ ," that followed right after. He'd fallen asleep on the couch and groaned at the pain in his neck. Baljeet sat up and saw Buford struggling to hang his keys on the hook, his hands full with bags and a drink carrier.

After finally hooking the keys, Buford smiled triumphantly and looked towards Baljeet, and smiled wider upon seeing him. Baljeet assumed it was due to his bed head and the imprint of the sofa lining on his cheeks.

"Good mornin’, sleeping beauty. It's eleven, I hope ya’ didn't have anywhere you needed to be." Buford said. He set down the bags and drink carrier on Baljeet's coffee table and kicked off his shoes before flopping down on the couch next to Baljeet. He started rifling through the bags and handed Baljeet a bright cupcake – the same kind he'd had before from the cafe down the street. "I know this ain’t exactly breakfast food, but I figured you needed something to lift your spirits."

Baljeet grabbed the cupcake and licked off some of the icings from the top. "Thank you." He said quietly. Buford just nodded and bit into his own cupcake, and Baljeet turned on the television. It was still paused on the episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashian's that they'd stopped on the night before. Kim was currently crying because of an earring she'd lost in the ocean.

"You know, if she is as rich as I assume her to be, one earring does not seem like that big of a deal," Baljeet said, licking the remainder of the icing off the cupcake. Baljeet had a bit of it on his nose, and Buford couldn't decide if he should wipe it off or not. Baljeet noticed him staring and rubbed his hand over his face, effectively ridding it of the icing. "God, Phineas has rubbed his horrible eating habits on me."

"Speaking of," Buford said, shifting on the couch. Baljeet looked over at him with his eyebrows raised, urging him to continue. "I’ve talked to him this morning, he was sitting outside when I left. He said that he wants to talk to you and that he knows that you're concerned with 'getting back what you lost,' whatever that means, but he wants you to see things from his point of view."

"He could not begin to apprehend–" Baljeet cut himself off and shook his head angrily, his hair falling in front of his eyes. "I am not going to burden you with my problems, forget about it."

"You can talk to me, Baljeet. I've been told I'm pretty good at listening." Buford said. He rested his hand on Baljeet's knee and the younger boy sighed, shaking his head once again and leaning forward to turn up the tv. "Well, if you ever do want to talk, I'm here."

"Right, I know. Thanks, Buford." Baljeet said, resting his head on the arm of the couch. He heard Buford say something along the lines of, "don't be silly," before his head was pulled into Buford's lap, and the blonde-haired boy's fingers were tangled in his hair. Baljeet sighed, the action reminding him of all the times Vanessa had done the same thing to comfort him.

Baljeet was almost asleep again when there was a hesitant knock on the door, and Buford removed him from his lap gently and got up. Baljeet's eyes followed him to the door and saw that Phineas was standing in the hallway scratching his neck awkwardly. Django was behind him with a smile on his face. Baljeet wanted to punch him.

"Baljeet, can we talk to you?" Phineas asked, peeking his head inside the door. Baljeet sat up on the couch and wrapped the blanket around him protectively.

"I want to talk to Django," Baljeet said. The older boy looked taken aback for a second but pushed inside the apartment anyway. Buford looked over his shoulder apprehensively and Baljeet shooed him away, and he left to stand in the hallway with Phineas.

"I'm really sorry, Baljeet. I didn't know you liked him–" Django started.

"I do not like him, but I am just confused about something," Baljeet said. He scooted to the end of the couch so Django could sit down. Baljeet knew that maybe he was about to cross the line, that perhaps he was sharing too much information, but this was the only way he knew how to get answers. "I thought you liked Buford."

Django's face hardened like he was about to deny it, but surprisingly, what came out of his mouth was much different than definitive words and accusations. Django laughed. It was long and drawn out and dry, and if Baljeet would have known any better he would have said the amount of pain behind the laugh was evident. Baljeet didn't know any better, and he immediately took back his words.

"I mean, maybe you do not, but I see the way you look at him. I see the way your eyes light up when he is around, or when you talk about him. I was just confused as to why you were kissing Phineas if you liked him so much–"

"Baljeet, have you ever been in love?" Django asked quietly. Baljeet shook his head and Django sighed and leant back against the couch. "Then let me try and explain it to you. With love comes this chemical in your brain called dopamine. Dopamine makes you happy, makes you feel light. After so many months of being on dopamine, being taken off of it feels like a bullet through the heart. Love hurts, Baljeet. I've been in love with Buford for six years. Four of them were spent pining after him, and for the last two I've been trying to get over him."

Baljeet rested a comforting hand on Django's knee and the older boy smiled sadly at him. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Baljeet. But being around a person every day who looks at you just like he does with everyone else, well, it sucks. Not when I look at him like he hung the moon and stars for me. That's the funny thing about love, one person always gives a little more. All this time I've been giving him my everything and getting nothing in return. When Phineas came around, well, it was a chance for me to try again to get over him. Because I think Buford's got his eye on someone, someone who isn't me."

"You have to fight for him, Django! You have to try, do not give up!" Baljeet said, grabbing onto his hands and shaking them fervently. Django laughed and shook his head.

"I would rather sit back and see Buford happy than try to force upon him a relationship that he doesn't want," Django said sadly. Baljeet frowned at him and sat back in his seat, a million things running through his mind. _First things first_ , he thought, _I need to get Phineas to stay in his lane._

"Just, um, tell me one thing," Baljeet said, shifting awkwardly on his legs. "You do not plan to use Phineas to make Buford jealous, do you? Because I know he does not look that way, but Phineas is sensitive and being used is not something I could let him be, especially not if I knew about it."

"No, Baljeet, I'm not using Phineas to make Buford jealous. And if it makes you feel better, I won't kiss him anymore until I know my feelings are gone, alright?" Baljeet nodded and Django smiled at him. "Now, I'm going to send Phineas over here to talk to you, because ever since yesterday he won't shut up about how sorry he is. So,"

Django waved goodbye to Baljeet and left his apartment. Phineas promptly took his place, like if he wasted any time at all Baljeet wouldn't give him a chance to talk. Buford was still in the hallway, absentmindedly playing with a few strands of hair that refused to lay flat.

"Baljeet, I'm sorry. I know I was an asshole, but you have to think about things from my side." Phineas said. Baljeet's face crinkled up at the apology that was given and then taken right back. "I know that flying means everything to you, I know that getting home to see your parents is a big deal, but don't you see how great you have it here?"

"No. No, I do not." Baljeet said, cutting Phineas off before he could dig himself a hole any deeper. "Look, I do not know what possessed you to think that I like it here. I do not know what makes you think that having my wings taken away was a good thing. If you have not noticed, Phineas, my wings are my life! Everyone I know has them, aside from Ferb, but that is unimportant. My parents expect me to have my wings, Vanessa expects me to have my wings, the Council expects me to earn and have my wings. This is not about me wanting to fly, this is about me proving everyone wrong. How could you not see that?"

Phineas opened his mouth to say something, but Baljeet cut him off once more. "I think you are the selfish one, Phineas. You are so caught up in trying to find love that you have forgotten the real reason you are – why all of us are here. We do not get love, Phineas, we give love. We are not made to fall in love and get our happy ending. I think you are losing sight of what you are meant to do. I know I am shit at my job, I know that without help I could not even begin to pass a mission, but at least I am not running around with my head in the clouds like an idiot convinced that I deserve love."

Baljeet slumped back on the couch and sighed, running his hands over his face. He watched Phineas carefully, watching as his face contorted into anger before falling stoic. Baljeet was about to apologize when Phineas reached forward and punched him in the face, just barely missing his nose.

"Oh, I will have _none_ of that!" Vanessa's voice was shrill to their ears and Baljeet cowered into the couch, one hand clutching his face while the other attempted to cover his ears. Phineas was glaring at him and shaking his hand out like Baljeet had shoved his face into Phineas's fist and not the other way around.

"Phineas, pack your things. First thing in the morning you're coming back home." Vanessa said. Phineas scoffed and looked around, glaring at anything and everything that fell under his gaze.

"You can't do that, the mission isn't over," Phineas said. Baljeet looked at himself in the reflection of the coffee table, and his eye was already bruising a pretty purple.

"Consider the mission failed, you're coming home." Baljeet perked up at that and opened his mouth to protest, but Vanessa cut him off. "Baljeet, you're coming home too."

"No! I have only been here for a few weeks, give me more time. Take Phineas away and give _me_ more time." Baljeet begged. Talking hurt his face and he bit his lip in pain, not missing the way Phineas smirked when he winced.

"The Council’s considering the mission failed. Be glad they're letting you come home and not kicking you into the mortal world for good." Vanessa said. Baljeet sighed and rubbed at his face and Phineas got up from the couch, hurrying towards Baljeet's room. He heard his closet doors being thrown open and immediately realized what Phineas was doing.

"Phineas, you do not dare!" Baljeet yelled, jumping off the couch. Phineas ran past him, bow and arrows in hand. He expertly aimed one at Django, hitting him in the back of the thigh on the first try. Baljeet lunged at him, but Phineas moved out of the way and Baljeet landed face-first on the ground.

"I'm doing this for you, 'Jeet. Don't waste your life only caring about others. Put yourself first sometimes. I love you, man. In a platonic way, I mean. But you understand." Phineas finished off his spiel by shoving a second arrow in his own thigh, and it disappeared almost automatically. Baljeet could see the practical hearts in Phineas's eyes when he looked up at Django, and he held his arms open for the older male.

Django turned around and jumped into Phineas's arms, and the two of them spun in circles as they giggled. Baljeet stared at them, jaws dropped. Buford stood in the hallway wearing the same expression, pieces of chocolate sitting precariously in the curve of his lip.

"Phineas," Baljeet sighed, dragging his hands through his hair. "What have you done?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter nine of cupid !! If you've enjoyed the chapter, please don't hesitate to leave a comment/kudos it certainly makes my day. At least Phineas said he loves Baljeet.
> 
> words 2156  
> characters 12009


	11. ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, I wouldn’t have to create fanfics about it.
> 
> The official tenth chapter is here !! It’s quite short but I wanted to double update today.

> **Ten**

"They're disgusting."

"I agree," Baljeet said. He and Buford were sitting at a table in the back of the couple’s cafe, watching as Django and Phineas fed each other pieces of the cupcake. Buford had already devoured his’ and Baljeet was licking the icing off his’ periodically, but all together feeling too crummy to enjoy the sweet.

"What even happened? One minute Phineas was punching ‘ya in the face, and the next he's kissin’ my best friend. I don't understand." Buford was biting on his fingernails and Baljeet reached up and grabbed his hand out of his mouth.

"It is a bad habit." He said, dropping Buford's hand onto the table. Buford shrugged and continued biting at his other hand, and this time Baljeet decided to ignore him. Baljeet cringed when Django wiped icing on Phineas's nose solely so he could lick it off again. "What should we do with them?"

"What do you mean? Why do we have to do anything about it?" Buford asked. He took the bottom of Baljeet's discarded cupcake and bit into it. Baljeet wrinkled his nose at the fact that Buford was ingesting his spit, but didn't say anything.

"Well, we could not just leave them like that… can we?" Baljeet countered, gesturing to the disgustingly cute couple – or whatever they were. Django's plan b, and Phineas' apparent attempt at giving Baljeet a normal life.

"I don't see why not, it's not like they're hurtin’ anyone. And if they're happy then why does it matter? Don't you want to see your best friend happy?" Buford asked.

"Yes, but Django is not in love with Phineas." Baljeet sighed and leant his head against his hand. Buford just shrugged and continued eating his leftover cupcake. Baljeet had stayed up all night with a giggly Phineas, trying to shake him out of his love-drunk stupor. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"I need to talk to Vanessa," Baljeet muttered to himself. He wished he had a way of getting a hold of the older female, but he just had to hope that Vanessa had the Great Book opened at the time he needed her– which was all the time, really, but Baljeet tried to convince himself otherwise.

Suddenly the giggling got louder, followed by, "Phineas, it's Baljeet and Buford! Hi, guys!" Baljeet looked up from the table to see Phineas and Django walking towards their table, arms wrapped around each other.

The couple sat down at their table and Baljeet glared at them. Buford flicked Baljeet's arm when he caught him glowering, but Baljeet just rolled his eyes and continued to sulk. Django was talking animatedly about something and Phineas was watching his intently, practically heart eyes emoji for the older boy. Baljeet wanted to vomit.

"Hey," Baljeet said, almost hesitant. He didn't want to get into a conversation with either of them, not that they were going to listen to him anyway. Django was too busy threading his fingers through Phineas' hair to pay him any attention, and Phineas never listened to him anyway, not even when he wasn't artificially in love.

As he thought, Baljeet was completely ignored as Django talked over him and Phineas ignored him. Buford sent him an apologetic smile and Baljeet shook his head before standing up from the table. "I have to go," he said. Buford started to say something but Baljeet walked away before hearing what he had to say.

He had planned to walk home, really, he had, but when Baljeet walked past the small, poorly lit diner he couldn't help but stop. Especially not after seeing someone drinking a milkshake next to the front window. He'd get a milkshake and then go back to trying to fix this, one-stop couldn't hurt.

Before Baljeet knew it he was three milkshakes in and slumped over the diner counter, trying not to go into a lactose-induced coma. He perked up slightly when he heard a voice coming from behind him, someone was ordering a blackberry milkshake. Baljeet smiled to himself; that reminded him of Vanessa. As did the distinctive smell of a car-like perfume, and the black heels Baljeet could see as the person climbed onto the stool next to him.

Baljeet pulled his head away from his arms, where he'd been cradling it during a nearly painful brain freeze, to see Vanessa sitting next to him with a soft smile on her face. Part of Baljeet thought that he was hallucinating – could a sudden rapid intake of milk do that to a person? – but Vanessa set her hand on his shoulder before his fantasies got too far away from him.

"Vanessa," Baljeet said quietly. He stared at the older woman for a minute before tossing himself into her arms – as much as he could while remaining in his chair. "I do not understand what to do because Phineas used the arrows on himself and Django and now they are in love and I think Buford is upset but I do not know why and I do not know how to fix it and I am a horrible matchmaker, I am so horrible why do you not just let the council get rid of me and I do not know what to do–"

"Slow down, Baljeet. Everything will work out. I'm helping you, remember? I've got everything under control." Vanessa told him, pushing him back into his seat. Baljeet nodded and sighed, resting his head in his hands.

"What am I going to do?" Baljeet asked again, shaking his head slightly. He was screwed. He had absolutely no clue what to do and no way to get Phineas and Django out of love. The arrows couldn't be taken back unless the love faded on its own, which was rare.

"Baljeet, you're really bad at getting people together, right?" Vanessa said, smiling at the worker as he handed him her milkshake.

"Wow, Vanessa, thank you for the encouragement," Baljeet said sarcastically, sending Vanessa a lazy glare. He was still groggy from too many milkshakes. And he really had to pee.

"Don't use that tone with me, I'm trying to help you. If you can't get people together, why don't you try breaking them up?" Vanessa suggested. Baljeet looked at her oddly as Vanessa sipped on her milkshake. He mulled it over in his head, the idea of forcing the spell to break, but he didn't think it was possible.

"And if it does not work?" Baljeet asked. Vanessa laughed lightly under his breath, but before Baljeet could question it Vanessa was talking again.

"It'll work, trust me," Vanessa said. Baljeet continued to look at her, wondering how Vanessa could be so confident in a plan that had never been tried before – and executed by Baljeet, at the very least.

"Now, I need to get back home, but I'll talk to you later, okay?" Vanessa said, grabbing her milkshake off the counter.

"What? Why are you leaving so soon?" Baljeet asked as he held onto Vanessa's sleeve. She couldn't just pop up, promise to help him and then leave again.

"Because I came here unauthorized," Vanessa told him. Baljeet nodded and let go of Vanessa's sleeve and let her walk away. Baljeet sighed and turned back towards the dinner counter and looked at the employee.

"One more milkshake would not hurt," he muttered, pointing to a mint one and resting his forehead on the counter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the tenth chapter of cupid !! Again- I’m sorry it was a short chapter but I thought I should double update because you guys are so lovely (especially those sending the kudos and comments). 
> 
> words 1236  
> characters 7153


	12. eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve known Phineas’ real father.
> 
> I’m running out of ideas for the disclaimer and it shows.

> **Eleven**

Baljeet stared at the bow and arrows in his hand, debating if he broke it and sent a faulting arrow in both Django and Phineas's directions if it'd reverse the spell. He decided to give it a shot and broke one of the arrows over his leg. He shot the pointed end at Django and turned abruptly to shoot the other side at Phineas. Phineas flinched as it hit his back, but showed no other signs of an acknowledgement as he curled into Django's side.

"There has to be a way to fix this," Baljeet muttered to himself. He looked down at Django's file. It said that he hated snakes, but so did Phineas, so getting the latter to buy one is completely out of the question. If Baljeet was being honest with himself, the two were a perfect match for each other. Baljeet sighed.

"I think we should give ‘em a taste of their own medicine." Buford is suddenly whispering in his ear and Baljeet jumps back, slamming the file closed.

"What do you mean?" Baljeet asked, trying to turn around without revealing the file on the counter. Buford stepped closer to him before he had time to gain his bearings, and the proximity made his head hurt.

"Well, tweedle dee and tweedle dumb are too busy with themselves to hang out with us anymore, so what if..." Buford trailed off for a second as if reconsidering his idea before he continued. "What if we're too busy with each other to hang out with them?"

"What... what are you insinuating?" Baljeet asked, throat dry. If this was headed anywhere near where he thought it was headed, he was going to have a very pissed Vanessa on his hands. Baljeet was all against it at first but everything died out when Buford grabbed his hand.

"Look, you're cute, alright? I don't see the harm in at least trying to act more coupley than them to try and get them to snap out of it." Buford said. Baljeet couldn't think, not with Buford's cold hand pressed into his warm palm, definitely not with the older one so close to him.

"So what I am hearing," Baljeet started, throat screaming out in protest. He needed water. And maybe a defibrillator. "Is that you only want to date me to get back at Django."

The guilty look on Buford's face was enough for Baljeet, and knowing that Buford wasn't actually interested in him made him feel better. He could do this fake dating thing, tell Vanessa it was for the sake of the mission, and maybe get some good cuddles out of it. It was a win-win. Buford was opening his mouth again, probably to say to forget it, when Baljeet pushed his fingers through Buford's own and smiled at him.

"Then let us get our friends back," _And my wings_. Baljeet whispered silently. 

* * *

They were going on a double date. Baljeet was nervous as hell as he tried to pick out an outfit, while Phineas was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. He was jumping on the bed, then sprinting down Baljeet's narrow hallway, then jumping behind Baljeet to try and get a better look in his closet.

"Phineas!" Baljeet snapped, dropping the hanger he was holding, baby blue shirt falling unceremoniously onto the ground. Phineas stopped and looked at Baljeet, a sheepish grin on his face. "Would you calm down for two seconds? And maybe get dressed? They will be here soon."

"I am dressed, Baljeet. You should be the one rushing. Put on those jeans you like so much and a nice shirt. We're not going anywhere fancy, Hobi said that we're going to the arcade." Phineas said, all traces of energy gone. Baljeet sighed and did exactly that, put on his favourite pair of black jeans and a striped shirt. Phineas all but giggled when he saw that Baljeet was trying to do something with his hair. "It looks fine, ‘Jeet, don't worry."

Baljeet scoffed. "I am not worried." Phineas raised an accusing eyebrow, but someone knocked on the door before he could interrogate Baljeet's feelings for the elder.

" _Do not worry_ ," Baljeet mocked, running his hand through his hair in a silent, _fuck it_. "Why would I be worried? When there is nothing to worry about. It is not like I like Bufor- oh, wow."

For just going to the arcade, Buford looked like he'd actually woken up before noon that day – which was a big accomplishment for someone as lazy as Buford. Instead of his normal ripped jeans and hoodie, Buford had on form-fitting jeans and a shirt that said, Brooklyn. Baljeet didn't know what a Brooklyn was, but he wanted to thank them in person for printing their name on a shirt.

"You ready, Baljeet? Or are you just going to stand there and look at Buford all day?" Django asked, covering his mouth when he started to giggle. Baljeet rolled his eyes and followed the three of them out of the apartment, Django and Phineas skipping happily ahead of him, hands swinging between them.

"Congratulations," Baljeet said, glancing once at Buford's confused expression before continuing. "For looking like you did not just wake up. I do not think I have ever seen you wear something without wrinkles in the whole month and a half I have been here."

Buford laughed and pushed Baljeet's shoulder a little bit. "Hey, I never said anything when you wore the same jacket for two weeks straight. Don't come to me and my wrinkles."

"From what I hear, they will be in your skin soon. Why did you not tell me you were older than me? I have been disrespecting you this whole time." Baljeet said. Baljeet was raised to be respectful of his elders and he was used to being kind to his elders. Baljeet decided not to think about home or his parents as not to ruin the 'date' he was going on.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not that old. Second, I didn’t know ‘ya care so much about age not many people do. Third, you can do whatever ‘ya want we’re already friends anyway," Buford said. Baljeet nodded and pushed open the door of the apartment complex, which Django and Phineas had so graciously slammed in their face on their way out.

"So where is this arcade? I have not explored at all." Baljeet said. He stood on his toes and looked ahead for Django and Phineas, who were standing outside the dog adoption center, screaming through the glass at the puppies.

"We'll have to do that someday, then. I'll take ‘ya to all my favourite spots." Baljeet tried to push down the urge to blush. "The arcade is a few blocks down. I wanted to take the car, but Django insisted on walking."

"Walking is good for you, do not be such a lump," Baljeet said. He pulled Phineas away from the window as they walked past, hoping that Django would follow him. The store owner sent the four boys a glare as they walked away.

"I'm not a _lump_ ," Buford insisted. "I worked hard to earn enough money to buy a car and none of you will let me use it."

Baljeet leant over and pinched Buford's cheek, which had gone chubby from pouting. "Do not be such a baby, you will live." Buford glared at him and pulled Baljeet's hand away from his face, but instead of dropping it, he laced their fingers together. Baljeet wanted to scream. Or die. Baljeet wanted to scream and die. He settled for a very manly blush.

"Jeet’s blushing~!" Phineas sang, pulling on Django's hand. The couple grinned at him, Django's blinding and Phineas's wide with a bit of... something.

"I am not blushing," Baljeet said. He pulled his jacket collar up to hide his face, but Django was already cooing at him and Buford was laughing heartily. Baljeet buried his head in Buford's shoulder, which although it hid his blush, caused Django to squeal loudly and his blush to worsen. "Next time can we go without a human siren?"

Buford laughed even harder at that, having to stop and lean over to try and catch his breath. Phineas was laughing too, but softer since Django was glaring at him, looking thoroughly offended. Baljeet felt bad when he didn't talk for the rest of the walk to the arcade, but as soon as he saw the flashing lights on all the games Django perked right back up and pulled Phineas to the coin counter.

"You'd think they were seven," Buford muttered. Baljeet laughed and nodded, but didn't miss the way Buford's eyes lit up when he saw the ski ball games.

Just for fun, Baljeet thought he'd pose a challenge. "I bet I am better at all of these games than you are." Truthfully, Baljeet was shit at anything that didn't have to do with avoiding a certain fairy, but the playful glint in Buford's eye was enough to make him competitive.

"I bet not," Buford said as they walked towards the ticket counter. He paid for both of them, much to Baljeet's displeasure, but Buford had brushed off the numerous punches to his shoulder as he handed the money to the person behind the counter. They were dividing up the coins when Buford looked up. "What's the consequence? Like, for the loser."

Baljeet contemplated it for a second, before finally deciding on something that wouldn't get him in trouble with Vanessa. "The loser buys the winner cupcakes from the cafe down the street."

Baljeet already knew he was going to lose, and buying cupcakes wasn't that big of a deal. He'd probably pick some up for himself too. Buford shook his head, unimpressed. "That's lame. You buy me cupcakes all the time."

Baljeet was going to protest the fact that Buford had just said he knew that he was going to beat Baljeet, just to pick a fight, but Buford kept talking. "How 'bout this, the loser buys cupcakes and has to give the winner a kiss."

Baljeet blanched. "Are you _five_?"

"No, I'm just making this interesting. Here are a hundred chips. We play all the same games, and at the end of the night, whoever has more wins. We got a deal?" Buford held out a hand and Baljeet stared at it dubiously before shaking it tentatively.

“You are on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter eleven of cupid !! Leave a comment/ kudos if you’ve enjoyed the read. This chapter is the first chapter that was mostly filled with bujeet. Kiss coming up… maybe, who knows?
> 
> words 1739  
> characters 9898


	13. twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve had more meep episodes.

> **Twelve**

Baljeet was losing terribly. Buford was waltzing around the arcade with a practical cape of tickets, while he had a measly fifteen shoved into his back pocket. Baljeet wondered briefly just what he'd gotten himself into, but each time his mind would wander Buford would wink at him and purse his lips teasing and Baljeet would remember. Cupcakes and kisses. Right.

Baljeet had half the mind to pull Phineas aside and ask him for help, but he already knew that Phineas would tell him to just roll with it and live the life everyone at home would kill for. Baljeet sighed as he walked up to the ski ball machine. Buford had already inserted his coins and was racking up points faster than Baljeet could blink. Baljeet did the same, but when he threw the ball it bounced off the protective glass right back at him.

"Baljeet, oh my god." Buford laughed. Baljeet pouted at him and continued to play the game, or at least attempted to play the game. After six failed attempts at getting the ball to go under the glass, Buford decided to intervene. He grabbed onto Baljeet's wrist on the upswing and dragged his hand back down. "Before ‘ya go and break the ramp, let me show you."

"I thought you wanted to win?" Baljeet questioned, letting Buford wrap himself around his body. Buford laughed directly into his ear and Baljeet's fingers tingle at the sensation.

"Baljeet, I could give ‘ya everything in that bucket and still win. Anyway, it’s like this–" Buford put his hand over Baljeet's and drugged them back down, letting the ball go lightly. It landed in the five thousand and Baljeet practically squealed in excitement. Buford grinned at him and picked up the next ball.

"Give me a try," Baljeet insisted, grabbing the ball from Buford. He sent it sailing up the ramp and Buford winced, but Baljeet's sudden yell of triumph had him opening his eyes carefully. Baljeet had managed to sink a perfect ten thousand, and with the added, five thousand Buford had gotten him he was in the lead.

"Winner takes all," Baljeet suddenly proposed. Buford looked at him incredulously, then at his pile of tickets and compared them to Baljeet's measly few. If Buford agreed and somehow Baljeet won this game, Buford was going to be pissed. But he was never one to back down from a challenge.

"Let's do this, shall we?" Buford grabbed onto a ski ball and rolled it up the ramp, landing it in the four thousand slots. Baljeet was next and only got a thousand, tying him with Buford. Baljeet huffed and rolled the ball again, landing it in the five thousand. He stuck his tongue out at Buford and the older boy rolled his eyes.

"Don’t get cocky ‘ya haven’t won yet." 

* * *

"I can't believe I lost," Buford whined, slamming his head against the table. Baljeet laughed and rested his hand in between Buford's shoulder blades in a fake attempt to comfort him. Baljeet had won by a singular point, and Buford had spent five minutes trying to convince everyone in the arcade that Baljeet had rigged it because ski ball doesn't give singular points, but all his attempts at solace were in vain as Baljeet happily skipped to the ticket counter, his tickets in one hand and Buford's in the other.

Now they were sat at their usual table in the small pink cafe that Baljeet had recently found out was called _Sugar and Spice_. He wasn't quite sure where the spice aspect came into play, but he liked their cupcakes so he didn't look too much into it. Phineas and Django had gone back to the apartments after they left the arcade, seeing as it was getting late and they didn't want to be out too long. Buford had told Baljeet that if they didn't get the cupcakes now he was going to be too stubborn to buy them tomorrow, so they'd made a pit stop at Sugar and Spice for a midnight snack.

"That is what you get for being cocky," Baljeet said simply, licking the top of his cupcake. He stopped short when Buford brushed his hand up and hit the bottom of the cupcake, smearing icing all over Baljeet's chin, mouth and nose. A little bit of the pink topping stained his right cheek. "Asshole."

Buford laughed loudly and reached into his pocket for his phone, but Baljeet was shoving a whole cupcake in Buford's open mouth, paper and all. Buford glared at him and Baljeet smiled sweetly at him, some of the strawberry icing falling off his chin onto the table.

Baljeet wiped his face on some napkins, not missing the way the poor employee behind the counter was glaring at them. Baljeet nodded at them once before pulling Buford out of the shop, muttering a quiet sorry as they passed the front counter. Buford smacked the back of Baljeet's head as he pulled the cupcake paper from his mouth.

"You idiot, ‘ya know I don't like the vanilla kind," Buford complained. Baljeet just shrugged and they continued walking in silence – or near-silence since Buford was still grumbling over the fact he lost to Baljeet by one point. Baljeet's face was sticky, he could feel his skin pull right every time he twitched his nose. Buford deserves having to eat a vanilla cupcake, despite detesting the flavour.

Buford stood awkwardly next to Baljeet as the younger boy unlocked his door. Baljeet had his hand on the knob and was looking at Buford expectantly, waiting for him to go to his own apartment door so they could yell their ‘goodnights’ in a regular fashion. Buford didn't move.

"Um, goodnight, Buford. I will see you later." Baljeet went to push the door open but Buford grabbed onto his wrist, preventing him from escaping into his warm apartment. "What–"

"Ya haven't even gotten the rest of your prize yet," Buford said. Baljeet swallowed nervously; he was hoping Buford had forgotten about the other half of the deal. Baljeet shifted on his feet and pulled his shoulders up to his ears.

"Ah, do not feel, obligated to kiss me. It is no big deal. Goodnight." Baljeet pulled his face down into his sweater, but before he could weasel his way between the doorframe and the wood Buford had a hold of his chin, tightly his head to the side.

Baljeet squinted his eyes closed and held his breath, practically pulling his lips into his mouth to try and keep them away from Buford. He was pleasantly surprised when a cold pair of lips ghosted across his cheek. Buford let go of Baljeet's chin immediately afterward and backed up.

"Goodnight, Baljeet," Buford said. Baljeet nodded and walked into his apartment, trying to shut the door calmly behind him. Phineas was sitting on the couch, a knowing grin on his face.

"Shut up," Baljeet grumbled, pulling his sweater up to hide his blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter twelve of cupid, leave a kudos/ comment if you enjoyed the chapter !! Currently, pushing myself for a double update today.
> 
> words 1164  
> characters 6711


	14. thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve seen more of Baljeet’s life.

> **Thirteen**

Baljeet knew he fucked up as soon as he walked into his apartment, seeing Phineas on the couch, grinning like a maniac. He'd decided to go to bed and deal with his best friend's interrogation in the morning so that maybe a little bit of sleep would help him build his argument overall of Phineas's assumptions. He didn't expect to wake up to the shrill voice of none other than Vanessa Doofenshmirtz practically screaming in his ear at one in the afternoon.

"Baljeet Tjinder, what were you thinking? Have you forgotten the mission?" Vanessa yelled. Baljeet tumbled out of bed, his blankets wrapped tightly around his legs. He opened his eyes, expecting Vanessa to be standing over him when he remembered that the older female had left him in the mortal world.

"It was a bet! It was not my idea! I swear!" Baljeet covered his head as if Vanessa was going to reach through the Great Book and smack him on the back of the head. He almost wished he would have given up on the mission when Phineas punched him.

"That doesn't mean you go through with it! Ah, you idiot." Vanessa said. Baljeet could almost sense the contempt in Vanessa's voice as if calling Baljeet an idiot made her happy.

"He is using me, anyway. It is really no big deal, Vanessa." Baljeet said nonchalantly. He detangled himself from his blankets and ran his hands through his hair. Phineas walked into his room with the same sinister grin on his face.

"Didn't you hear, Vanessa? Buford and Baljeet locked lips last night." Phineas giggled when Baljeet chucked a pillow at him.

"We did not!" Baljeet yelled, his cheeks flaming red. Baljeet stuttered over his words, "h-he just kissed m-my cheek. It is really n-no big d-deal."

"Look at you, ‘Jeet is blushing!" Phineas reached forward to squeeze Baljeet's cheeks, but a low laugh stopped them both in their tracks. "Ferb?"

"And Isabella!" Isabella yelled. Baljeet glanced at Phineas out of the corner of his eye, not missing the way the Phineas seemed to deflate as a frown etched its way onto his face.

 _He misses her_. Baljeet thought to himself. Then he backtracked because that’s how the arrows worked, Phineas shouldn't really react to anything. At least not yet, he's still supposed to be hazy with love for Django.

"Hey, guys!" Baljeet said. Phineas mumbled a hello after him and Baljeet smiled at him, mouthing a silent, _we'll be home soon_ , and patting his back. Phineas leant into him like suddenly everyone semi-congregated in one spot made the distance from home that much harder to handle.

"When will you guys get home? Vanessa and Ferb are too busy with each other to hang out with me. I'm bored." Isabella said. Baljeet could almost picture her small pout and Vanessa's eye roll at the back of Isabella's head.

"Soon, Isabella, soon. The mission is going quite well," Baljeet sent a sideways glance to Phineas. "Almost perfectly."

"So, Phineas, I assume everything is going smoothly?" Vanessa asked. Baljeet looked at Phineas oddly. Had he not just said that?

"Yes, Vanessa, geez stop worrying. Baljeet told you everything was fine, take his word for it." Phineas smiled at Baljeet and rolled his eyes. Baljeet smiled. Vanessa was always so worrisome.

"Let's talk about Baljeet's new boyfriend," Phineas pushed on Baljeet's shoulder as the smaller boy blushed.

"We are not boyfriends, it is for the mission so stop picking on me," Baljeet said. He pushed back on Phineas and rolled his eyes. Phineas gave him a look, as if he was saying, _I see that blush, you liar._ "It is for the mission, I swear. I do not like him."

"Liar!" Phineas yelled, hitting Baljeet's arm. Baljeet flinched and covered his face. The bruise had only just gone away, Baljeet didn't need another purple stain on his face. "Sorry."

Baljeet smiled and patted Phineas's shoulder. "It is alright, do not worry about it."

"I still feel bad..." Phineas trailed off and Baljeet went to reassure him once again that it was fine; the bruise was gone and Buford had taken care of him well. He'd healed nicely, but he was cut off by knocking on the door.

"You get it, I still do not have pants on," Baljeet said. Phineas rolled his eyes but got off the floor anyway to answer the door. Baljeet laid down in his blanket burrito and closed his eyes, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep when Phineas's loud voice rang out like a warning bell.

"Oh, Buford, hi!"

Baljeet scrambled off the floor and looked around hurriedly for a pair of pants, shorts, toga – anything. He didn't find them before Buford was walking into his room, the box set of DVDs in his hands.

"So I've got Friends, Glee, Breaking Bad— you're not wearin’ pants," Buford said, his eyes fixed on Baljeet's legs. He nodded appreciatively and looked back up at Baljeet's face, which was burning as he tried to pull his shirt down over his pink boxers. "Nice thighs. Anyway, Breaking Bad, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond– really, the possibilities are endless ‘ya just gotta tell me what fits your fancy."

"Glee. Could you please leave so I could get dressed?" Baljeet asked, still fumbling with his shirt. Buford laughed and walked out of the room, moving the Glee discs to the top of the pile. "Bye guys," Baljeet whispered, before hearing the telltale sound of the Great Book closing.

Baljeet quickly put on his comfiest pyjama pants and grabbed his blanket off the floor before making his way to the living room. The four of them had made plans last night at the arcade to have a marathon of someone's favourite television show the next day. Baljeet had won the coin toss (and who could say _no_ to those eyes?) so he got to pick the show.

Baljeet walked out to see Phineas and Django already cuddled up on the love seat, leaving Baljeet and Buford on the couch. Baljeet silently thanked whatever God would listen that he didn't have to share the love seat with Buford. Not that he smelled bad or anything, but Baljeet was trying _really hard_ to pass this mission.

Baljeet laughed when he saw Buford's pyjamas– a big white sweater and pants with polar bears on them. Buford's hair was also fluffy and sticking up on one side, and glasses sat on the tip of his nose. He reminded Baljeet of a marshmallow.

"Your hair is already fading," Baljeet commented offhandedly, running his fingers through Buford's hair. Buford shrugged and pushed his head against Baljeet's hand after he stopped petting him. "I am not playing with your hair."

"Why’d you hate me so much?" Buford asked, flopping his head into Baljeet's lap. Baljeet laughed and shoved him off so he could put the disc in. Once it was started Baljeet turned back around to Buford, who had Baljeet's blanket wrapped around him with a pout on his face.

"Share," Baljeet said, pulling on the blanket. Buford put his head in Baljeet's lap and snuggled closer into the blanket. "Oh my god, fine, you big baby." Baljeet started playing with the hair on the crown of Buford's head and Buford happily threw some of the blankets over Baljeet. 

* * *

Phineas and Django had fallen asleep on the love seat by the time they'd reached season two. Now, in season five, Baljeet kept having to turn up the television to block out the sound of the couple's snoring. The right half of his body had fallen asleep from leaning against Buford – only doing so because the older boy convinced him he was cold and that cuddling just made _sense_.

So there they were, Baljeet with his head practically in Buford's armpit with Buford's arm draped over him. The blanket was gathered around the both of them like a protective cocoon of heat, and Baljeet, for the first time since he left home, felt cozy.

He didn't have to worry about the mission or Vanessa or breaking up Phineas and Django, because at that moment it was just him, Buford, a blanket and the New Directions.

"You know, I was in the show choir in high school," Buford said. Baljeet looked up at him and bit back a laugh. Buford glanced at him quickly before turning his eyes back to the screen. "What? It's not funny."

"It is a little funny," Baljeet said, still smiling against Buford's side. Baljeet had heard Buford off-handedly singing sometimes to himself, and Baljeet knew for certain that Buford couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

"They let me rap, like that one." Buford pointed his finger towards the character in the wheelchair. "Unlike him, though, I can't sing either. They let me ooo in the background and rap when the song had one. It was a fun time."

Baljeet couldn't hold back the laughter that was spilling from his mouth, and he tried to muffle in against Buford's body. Buford flicked the top of Baljeet's head and Baljeet glared at him, still laughing. "You're such a bully."

"I am the nicest person you know, shush," Baljeet said, hitting Buford's thigh. Buford just rolled his eyes and leant further into Baljeet's side.

"Whatever, now be quiet, this is my favourite episode." Baljeet rolled his eyes but closed his mouth and cuddled into Buford nonetheless.

Phineas smiled from the love seat and turned over in Django's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter thirteen of cupid !! Please, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed this chapter. I completely forgot to update the book yesterday so it’s an early update today.
> 
> words 1585  
> characters 9105


	15. fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, I would be writing songs right now.

> **Fourteen**

"This was a horrible idea," Baljeet whispered, eyes glued to the screen. They'd all decided to have a movie marathon, and in regular Phineas fashion, he'd requested horror. Buford had been more than generous with the stack of films he brought over, ranging from thriller to gore to the Exorcist, which they were watching now.

Django was sitting partially on Phineas, partially behind him, trying to watch the film with one eye only. Phineas had his arm bent awkwardly behind him to hold his hand, but Django was ignoring it in favour of wrapping his body completely around Phineas instead.

"I cannot believe you requested t–this." Django scolded, whacking Phineas on the head. Phineas smiled at him and poked his cheek before turning his attention back to the movie.

"You’re cute, Django. But pay attention." Phineas said as Baljeet turned his attention away from the two of them and back to the tv, where the little girl's head was turning around as if on a swivel.

"Oh my God, oh my God," Baljeet muttered, covering his eyes with his hands. He was going to have nightmares for sure. Maybe he'd get revenge on Phineas by making him walk him to the bathroom. Baljeet felt himself being moved, and not having won the couch this time, found himself almost falling off the love seat until he was situated in Buford's lap, back to the older boy's chest.

Baljeet tried to hold down his blush as Buford held onto him protectively and pulled him back so he was laying on him. Baljeet covered his face with his sleeves, still feigning fear even though the part was over now.

"You are buying me so many cupcakes after this," Baljeet said. Buford laughed and laid his chin on Baljeet's head.

"Do I get to come with ‘ya to eat them?" Buford asked. Baljeet turned his head a little to look at Buford, eyebrows drawn together.

"Um, of course?" Baljeet said, looking up at him fully. Buford was grinning at him and nodded his head to himself a few times. Baljeet brushed it off and turned back around.

"Am I allowed to call it a date?" Baljeet blushed and shrugged his shoulders, suddenly very interested in the movie. Phineas and Django were grinning at them from the couch, like two mischievous Siamese cats. "Is that a yes?"

Baljeet shrugged again and pointed towards the movie. "Look, she is killing another person how interesting." Buford just laughed and leant back against the love seat, pulling Baljeet with him. Baljeet sent a sideways glare toward Phineas, who was giving him a subtle thumbs up. Baljeet scowled and turned back towards the movie while Buford rubbed his thumb against his hip bone.

* * *

"What was that?" Baljeet whispered, pulling his covers up to his nose. Phineas was asleep on the floor, snoring loudly. Baljeet had forced him to stay in his room that night because Phineas made them watch horror movies all day. Even after Django had begged to let them watch something else when the clock struck one a.m.

"Phineas," Baljeet whispered, more urgent this time. He glanced towards the window, which usually let in the moonlight but was now completely cast over with a shadow. Baljeet slowly crawled out of bed and sat down on the floor so only his eyes were visible from the window. The window opened a little and Baljeet screamed, grabbing onto Phineas's arm to wake him.

"It is the ghost of the lady who died here! Phineas, wake up! Wake up wake up wake up." Baljeet shook Phineas hard enough to give him whiplash, but the boy slept like a rock. "I am going to die because you would not wake up, you fucking asshole."

"Baljeet, stop callin’ him names it's just me," Buford whispered, pulling himself through Baljeet's window. As soon as Buford was safely deposited on his bed, Baljeet took to slapping him harshly in the chest.

"You – have - scared – me – half – to – death!" Baljeet yelled each word punctuated by a slap to Buford's sternum. The older boy finally grabbed ahold of Baljeet's hands and held them safely away from his body, and Baljeet looked at him, pouting.

"I brought ‘ya something," Buford whispered. He moved both of Baljeet's hands into one of his own and dug around in his back pocket with the other. Buford finally pulled out a small nightlight and he grinned at Baljeet. "To help you sleep, it puts stars on the ceiling."

"Oh," Baljeet said quietly, grabbing onto the nightlight. He bent down and plugged it in, watching as his ceiling was covered in stars and constellations.

"My mom bought it for me so I could learn all the names, here–" Buford pulled Baljeet down onto the bed and pointed up towards the ceiling, tracing a constellation with his finger. "That's Orion's belt, and that's the Big Dipper."

Baljeet listened as Buford named all the stars on his ceiling, slowly feeling himself fall asleep to the low timbre of Buford's voice. 

* * *

"Wow, if I had known we were having a sleepover I would have invited Django." Baljeet peeled open a sleep sealed eye and looked up at Phineas, who was standing over him with an accusing look on his face.

"Phineas, what are you talking about?" Baljeet grumbled, trying to pull his blanket up closer to his head. It wouldn't budge, resulting in Baljeet's fist coming up to punch him in the face. Baljeet groaned and rolled over, trying to get some heat from where he was in bed.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice the boy in your bed?" Phineas asked. Baljeet squinted at him and pulled his face into a frown.

"Phineas, I do not know what you are talking about. Please let me sleep, I did not get any thanks to you and Buford picking out that horrible movie." Baljeet said.

"Well, I thought it was good." Buford's low morning voice rumbled in Baljeet's ear and the younger boy yelped, falling out of the bed and onto the floor. Baljeet looked up at Phineas, who was smirking at him, then to Buford, who was looking at him with a sleepy grin on his face. "Sorry, I'll try to stop scaring ’ya."

"Right, so, next time you guys have a sleepover tell me and I'll stay with Django or something. Thank god I'm a heavy sleeper." Phineas said, making his way out of the room.

"What?" Baljeet said, staring after his best friend. "Why would he have to be a heavy sleeper for you to come over– hey! We did not do anything!" Baljeet yelled after him, throwing a pillow at Phineas' back. The younger boy just laughed and disappeared down the hallway.

"You drooled on my shoulder," Buford said offhandedly. Baljeet looked up at him and Buford patted the bed beside him. Baljeet crawled under the covers and resumed his position from the night before, head on Buford's shoulder – strategically avoiding the drool spot – and arm draped over his stomach.

"I apologize," Baljeet said, sleep already overtaking him. He closed his eyes and nuzzles into Buford's side, prepared for at least a few more hours of sleep.

"Don't worry about it," Buford told him. Buford shifted so his arm was situated under Baljeet's head and they were facing each other. He looked down at Baljeet, who was already asleep and snoring a little. Buford laughed and kissed his forehead before wrapping his arm around Baljeet and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter fourteenth of cupid, please leave a comment/ kudos if you’ve enjoyed. Short chapter today since I’ve got a lot going on.
> 
> words 1255  
> characters 7310


	16. fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would’ve been a Stacy and Perry episode.

> **Fifteen**

Baljeet was starting to realize just how much time he spent with Buford. It was three in the afternoon, and usually, he'd be curled up on the couch watching a movie or something with Buford trying to casually pull him into his lap. Today, however, Buford was at work and Baljeet was alone, left to lay on the couch and attempt to entertain himself for the next three hours until Buford would come bustling into his apartment, complaining about work and scooping him up and placing him on his lap without resolve.

Baljeet rolled over on the couch and let out a long, exasperated groan. He shouldn't be thinking like this; he shouldn't be anticipating Buford getting back from work so they can "accidentally" cuddle on the couch and share whispers and jokes. If anything, he should want Buford to stay at work for as long as possible and realize just how in love with him Django is.

Yet, here he is, staring at the small clock on his cable box, watching it tick from 3:03 to 3:04 at a pace that just _has_ to be slower than an actual minute. He's pulled out of his lonely stupor when Phineas starts yelling about how there's no food in the apartment, and that they should go shopping to fill the void created by a lack of company from a dork with fading blonde hair and polar bear pyjamas. Maybe he'd left out that last part, but Baljeet decided not to dwell on it.

So Baljeet pulled on his shoes and Phineas pulled on his jacket and they were off. Two lonely lumps walking down the street, Baljeet slumped over while Phineas talked his ear off about Django, and how in love he was and how much he missed him at work. Baljeet bit down on his tongue because it didn't matter if he felt the same way or not, he couldn't say anything. He just had to nod in agreement, masked as sympathy for Phineas and his boyfriend who he'd get to see in two hours and fifty-six minutes. But who's counting?

"Should we get apples? I think we should, I like apples." Phineas was throwing things into the cart and Baljeet was just pushing it along, not paying attention except for the one time Phineas asked if they should get Reece's pieces and Baljeet shouted _yes!_ because he knew Buford liked them.

"Alright, stop moping," Phineas said, snapping his fingers in front of Baljeet's eyes. Baljeet looked at him slowly, seemingly unfazed by the sudden fingers in his face. "I'll buy you licorice if you lighten up."

"You are the one to talk, the whole way here it was Django this, Django that," Baljeet grumbled, but he picked the licorice anyway and threw it into the cart. Maybe the candy would better his mood. Probably not.

"Except I'm justified, we're in _love,_ " Phineas said, clutching his chest. Baljeet rolled his eyes and hit him upside the head with the loaf of bread he was holding. Phineas glared at him but let it go, leading Baljeet down aisles and throwing things into the cart that they probably didn't need.

"So, like, in all seriousness," Phineas started as he set things on the conveyor belt. "How do you feel about Buford?"

"He is my friend, Phineas," Baljeet answered, pushing the cart to the end of the line so he could start nagging things. "We are simply nothing more, and you of all people should know that."

"But does he know that?" Phineas asked. He handed a wad of cash to the woman behind the counter and started pushing the cart away before she could give them change or hand them their receipt. "Because to me, he's pretty into you for you just to be dragging him along."

"I am not _dragging him along_ , he is using me to make Django jealous. We have talked about it." Baljeet said. Phineas rolled his eyes and leant against their car.

"Oh please, Baljeet. Buford doesn't even look at Django, why would he use you to make him jealous?" Phineas asked. Baljeet rolled his eyes right back and slammed down the trunk lid.

"You would not understand, forget about it." Baljeet pushed the cart into the parking space next to them, too lazy to walk it back inside the store. Baljeet hopped into the car and waited for Phineas to turn it on, only turning towards him after numerous minutes of standing still, staring out the window. Even then all he said was, "we have frozen."

"Alright, then I'll drive and talk and you can sit there and listen. This is an intervention." Baljeet sighed and slouched in his seat, but didn't stop Phineas when he started talking. "Look, I get it. I really do, you want your wings back, they're important. You want to go home to your family and finally be able to say ' _I did it, guys, I passed the mission.'_ I _understand_ , Baljeet. I know you miss your wings and your family and all our friends, hell, I miss them too, but–" Phineas sighed and shook his head.

"I need you to try and understand how good you've got it here. You've got a kind of boyfriend thing that looks at you like you hung the moon and stars. He buys you cupcakes and laughs at your stupid jokes and he even watched all six seasons of Glee with you, which in itself is a fucking miracle because that show is so bad– I'm getting off track, here, but take a few days, Baljeet. Immerse yourself in the world here. Don't think about home, don't think about the mission, don't even think about me. Take time for yourself and Buford, maybe go on a real date and if in a few days you still want to throw this all away for a life where you can't marry and all you get in return is wings, then so be it. But just take a week and prove to yourself that you really don't like it here, because I've seen you in both places Baljeet, and this is the happiest you've ever been."

Baljeet stayed quiet, holding his hands between his legs like he always does when he's nervous. Could he really forget about the mission? Let everything he's worked towards fall so easily just for a _boy_? Could he leave his family behind, just for something that may not work out in the end? No, it was crazy.

But you know, so was Baljeet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter fifteen of cupid, leave a comment/ kudos if you’ve enjoyed !! Phineas be spitting facts though.
> 
> words 1095  
> characters 6058


	17. sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, Perry would have his own spinoff show.

> **Sixteen**

Baljeet nervously sat on the couch, staring at the clock. Earlier he'd been moaning and groaning about wanting time to speed up, but now that it was 5:58, he wanted to die. Buford would be there at six, he'd told him the night before. Then he'd winked and said he was never late. So Baljeet sat on the couch and played with the sleeves of his shirt, staring down the clock and trying to use his mind to make the clock stop.

Phineas was on the love seat, lazily scrolling through television channels. Baljeet had half a mind to ask him what he should do, how to gradually form a relationship but before he could the door was swinging open and the clock was blinking a bright 6:00.

"Honey, I'm home!" Buford yelled obnoxiously, throwing his coat onto Baljeet's floor and flopping onto the couch next to him. Baljeet immediately relaxed – this was normal, this was him and Buford being friends and chilling on the couch and Buford complaining about work. "You won’t believe what happened today."

"What happened today?" Baljeet asked, playing with Buford's hair as Buford slowly sat up. His eyes were bright, and Baljeet thought that maybe it was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.

"My boss asked me if I could write for a famous movie coming up. _My movie_ , Baljeet! Something I’m gonna write and he wants to sell it for some famous person to direct. Can you believe it?" Buford grabbed onto Baljeet's waist and spun him around, and part of Baljeet wanted Buford to kiss him all over his face but he pushed it down.

"That is quite amazing, Buford. That is spectacular." Baljeet said. He stared down at Buford because from the place in his arms he's a little bit taller. Buford was looking up at him and Baljeet was licking his lips and finally, after a few minutes Phineas got up off the love seat.

"Dear Lord, you two are hopeless," Phineas said. He pushed Baljeet's back as he walked past, sending Baljeet lurching forward and tipping Buford off balance. They fell back into the couch, Baljeet flopping awkwardly on top of Buford, their faces practically smushed together but not quite.

"I apologize," Baljeet said, but he didn't make any move to get off of him. Buford just nodded and kept looking at him, and for a second Baljeet wanted to scream because just do it already, but then Buford was moving his hands to Baljeet's waist and holding him as his life depended on it.

"I'm gonna kiss you now."

"O-okay." 

Buford leant forward as Baljeet leant down, and their lips touched for maybe a fraction of a second before Baljeet was pulling back, thinking about how wrong this was, and leaning back in. He put his hands on the couch next to Buford's head and pressed his mouth against Buford's again.

Baljeet had thought about this very moment more than he liked to admit, wondering if Buford would taste like chocolate or pencil lead because he chewed on the ends of pencils when he concentrated. Then, Baljeet realized that he tasted distinctly of a strawberry cupcake and Baljeet pulled back from the kiss much sooner than he'd intended because what a _traitor_.

"You have bought cupcakes without me," Baljeet muttered, looking at Buford in disbelief.

"I bought ‘ya a cupcake though, I wanted to celebrate and got hungry on the way home," Buford explained, he seemed kind of upset that Baljeet had stopped kissing him just to accuse him of eating cupcakes without him.

"Well then why did you not say so?" Baljeet looked around for the cupcake box, but there wasn't one anywhere in sight and he looked back at Buford, who was grinning sheepishly at him.

"Well, firstly ‘cause I was kinda busy," Baljeet blushed and looked away but Buford kept talking. "And I might’ve also eaten it on the way here."

Baljeet sighed and rested his head against Buford's shoulder, shaking it slightly. "Why do you disappoint me so much?" Baljeet asked. Buford laughed and hit his back. An idea came to Baljeet's mind, an idea so crazy that he wasn't even sure would end well. But it could, so Baljeet took the chance. He pulled back from Buford and hit him on the chest to get his attention. "Do not worry about it. You may make up for it tonight."

Buford almost choked on his spit as he raised an eyebrow. Baljeet rolled his eyes and hit his chest again, this time a little harder because ew. "Do not be a pervert, we will go on a date. You may buy me a cupcake, then."

"What makes ‘ya think I’d wanna go on a date with ‘ya?" Buford asked, eyebrows still raised. Baljeet scoffed and tilted his head to the side.

"Um, well, I do make funny jokes, and I have dyed your hair, and I have cuddled you even when you are trying to be nonchalant, and I am the only one who does not make fun of your bear pyjamas, and I have bought you chocolate today–"

"Okay, okay I’ve got it. Can you be ready in like, thirty minutes?" Buford asked, glancing behind Baljeet at the clock. It was only 6:30, plenty of time for them to go out and run around before it got dark and they'd have to run back home to avoid getting mugged.

"Yes, I could do that." Baljeet nodded and Buford pushed Baljeet off his lap, onto the couch beside him. Buford looked over at him for a second before pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Okay, brb," Buford said, jumping off the couch. Baljeet rolled his eyes and lifted himself off the couch, trying to get his bearing about him.

"Do not talk like you're texting, stupid," Baljeet muttered quietly. Buford heard, laughing as he closed the door behind him, but Baljeet could still hear little bits of laughter as Buford walked to his apartment.

"Phineas!" Baljeet yelled as soon as he heard Buford's apartment door slam closed. Phineas came running out of the kitchen, a loaf of bread in hand.

"What? I'm making a sandwich. Where's Buford?" Phineas looked around the apartment, then back to Baljeet and his slightly wrinkled shirt. "Crap, you're going on a date. Come on, we need to get you in something presentable."

Phineas dragged Baljeet back to his room and started rifling through his closet. He threw a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt at him, and after Baljeet put them on he promptly took them right back. Then he threw him another outfit, and another, and one more until he was satisfied.

"Good, you look great," Phineas said, satisfied with his work. Baljeet turned and looked himself in the mirror and–

"Phineas, of course, you have done this now. I could not trust you with anything." Baljeet said, kicking off the bright yellow pants in exchange for dark ones. He kept the striped shirt, looking more acceptable now that he didn't represent a bumblebee. Phineas was laughing to himself as Baljeet mussed up his hair.

"Sorry, but you looked so worried I had to mess with you a little. But you'll be fine, Buford's like, in love with you." Phineas said. Baljeet turned around and glared at him, but didn't say anything. "Anyway, do you care if Django is over when you two get back? Or should I go over there?"

Baljeet turned around to see Phineas, the practical human embodiment of the Lenny's face. Baljeet rolled his eyes and punched Phineas's shoulder. "I do not care. Just please do not have sex on my couch."

"So your bed is fine?" Baljeet laughed and hit him again, but Phineas didn't seem to mind. It felt like for a minute that everything was fine and normal, and Isabella would be barrelling through the door any second but he didn't, instead, there was a knock and a loud, 'hey, it's Django!' and the moment kind of fell apart.

"And Buford!" Buford's voice followed quickly after, and the somewhat solemn air was cracked once again and Baljeet's face lit up involuntarily. Phineas pushed him out of the bedroom and into the hallway, Baljeet still struggling to fix his hair and hop into his shoes.

"Phineas, seriously," Baljeet shouted in a not so hushed whisper. Phineas stopped, but Baljeet didn't, and his momentum sent him tumbling forward onto the ground. He groaned and kicked Phineas's shin.

"You alright, Baljeet?" Django asked, already wrapping himself around Phineas. Phineas seemed unfazed, just holding out his arm for Django to grab on to. Baljeet nodded and pushed himself off the ground.

"Asshole," Baljeet grumbled, flicking Phineas's head. Phineas just shrugged and pulled Django towards the couch and they laid down on it. "Okay bye."

"Don't have too much fun," Phineas said, looking at Buford from over Django's shoulder. Buford rolled his eyes and grabbed ahold of Baljeet's arm and started tugging him out of the apartment.

"So there's this place that I keep drivin’ past on the way to work, and I think you'll like it. We can still get cupcakes, but we should go there first." Buford said, pressing the elevator button. Baljeet grinned at the little 'ding' that sounded out as it arrived and he ran in, holding down the urge to press all the buttons like he had so many other times before.

"We can go wherever you would like, as long as I get a cupcake by the end of the night." Buford laughed and reached over for Baljeet's hand, but Baljeet just gave him a high five. Buford looked momentarily hurt before Baljeet realized. "Oh my God sorry. Here."

Baljeet linked their fingers together and smiled up at Buford, who looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh. Once they were outside, Buford began pulling Baljeet in the direction of the cupcake shop, but a street before they got there Buford pulled him a different way.

Baljeet almost laughed when they arrived at a little diner, the same diner where Baljeet had ordered eight milkshakes and talked to Vanessa about breaking up Phineas and Django. Ah, how the tables have turned. They walk in, and Baljeet silently begs the guy behind the counter - who's looking at him like, _dear god not again_ \- not to bring up the milkshake incident.

They sat down at a table and Buford grabbed a menu, scanning over it before looking back at Baljeet. "Maybe we should just forget about food and get milkshakes." Baljeet laughed out loud that time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter sixteen of cupid, leave kudos/ comment if you enjoyed it. The long-awaited kiss is finally here, thoughts? 
> 
> words 1772  
> characters 10276


	18. seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, Buford and Baljeet would have more duo songs together.

> **Seventeen**

Baljeet tried not to make impressing people a habit, really he did. He had stopped dying his hair and stopped wearing that _ridiculous_ pink dress that most of the newest matchmakers wear, but when it came to Buford, all he wanted was to impress him. Even though Baljeet saw himself in a positive light, it was like it didn't matter unless Buford saw him that way, too. Maybe that's why he'd spent two nights purging sleep to memorize every constellation projected on his ceiling.

Maybe that's why, now, with his hand cradled safely in the palm of the older, he's pointing to the sky and rattling off the names of stars like he'd been born knowing them, checking Buford's face every once and a while to make sure he was interested. Every time he'd checked, though, Buford would be staring at him with a little grin on his face, and Baljeet would squeeze his hand, mutter a quiet 'pay attention' and go back to pointing out his favourite constellations.

"Baljeet," Buford said in the middle of Baljeet trying to scout out the Little Dipper. He looked over only briefly before going back to his hunt. "Hey, d’ya wanna know something?"

"Sure," Baljeet said, still staring up at the sky. It took Buford pulling him to the edge of the sidewalk and grabbing his face in his free hand to gain Baljeet's total attention. Even then, with his back pressed against a wall and cheeks squished uncomfortably between Buford's thumb and index finger, he was still flicking his eyes between Buford's and the sky, looking for the infernal constellation.

"I think you're a lot prettier than all those stars up there," Buford said quietly, gaze flickering to Baljeet's mouth as Baljeet's eyes flicked towards the sky.

"Please, do not be so cheesy," Baljeet said, finally looking at Buford instead of the stars overhead. Buford was grinning at him, big and stupid, and Baljeet reached up to flick his nose. "I am lactose intolerant."

Buford looked momentarily concerned because Baljeet had just had a milkshake and however much buttercream frosting was on two cupcakes. Then he realized Baljeet was trying to be funny and he shook his head, a grin still prevalent on his face. "You're a dork."

"You love it," Baljeet said without thinking, and Buford shrugged.

"Maybe. Get back to me in two months." Buford told him. Baljeet scrunched his eyebrows together, but before he could question anything Buford was pulling him away from the wall he'd pushed him against and started dragging him back towards home.

Baljeet contemplated stepping on the backs of Buford's heels to slow him down because _what's the rush_ when he realized that the sun was going down and if they didn't hurry the muggers would be there soon. They fell into the elevator panting and laughing slightly, Baljeet leaning against Buford and Buford leaning against the wall.

"What would you have done if we got mugged?" Baljeet asked through pants of breath. He had just ingested a lot of sweets and felt like maybe he'd have a heart attack.

"Woulda threw my shoes at ‘em, scooped ‘ya up and ran away," Buford said, looking over at Baljeet who was staring back at him skeptically. "What?"

"Why are you being so flirty? I would have pushed you down and ran." Baljeet said, shrugging his shoulders. Buford laughed and rested his head against Baljeet's shoulder, and Baljeet rested his cheek against the top of Buford's head.

"Guess I'm just nicer than ‘ya," Buford said. The elevator beeped open and Buford pulled Baljeet out of it, hand clasping onto him tightly. Buford stood next to Baljeet as he fumbled around for his house key, Buford holding back laughs when Baljeet almost dropped it.

"If you were not holding my hand hostage this would have been over ages ago," Baljeet muttered, unlocking his door. Buford just ignored him and followed him into the apartment, where Phineas and Django were curled up on the couch watching a movie. As soon as the door opened they sat up, Phineas pausing the movie as Django went into full interrogation mode.

"Did you have fun? Where'd you go? Please don't tell me you had cupcakes again, that's so boring. Buford, did you take him to that diner I told you about? What did you have? I like the milkshakes but–" Django was cut off when Phineas snaked an arm around him and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Babe, shush," Phineas said quietly. Django bit the inside of his cheek and looked up at Buford and Baljeet expectantly, expecting them to spill all the details.

Baljeet looked at Buford and Buford shrugged. There was nothing really to tell, but Django looked so hopeful that Baljeet felt they should make something up to tell him. Before he could make up a lie about the diner being robbed while they were eating, Buford was talking.

"I'll see ‘ya tomorrow, right? I should probably go to bed if I wanna wake up before noon tomorrow." Buford said. He didn't really look tired, and Baljeet was sure he'd be up for maybe a few more hours, but he just played along. Cutting their day short definitely beat out answering Django's endless strings of questions.

"Yes, of course. You will see me tomorrow. Of course." Baljeet said, nodding his head fervently. Buford laughed and pulled him back out of the apartment. Baljeet raised an eyebrow at him and Buford shrugged.

"It's only tradition to walk your date to the door," Buford said, reaching into his pocket for his house key. Baljeet watched as he struggled, saying a silent _ha_ because Buford was getting a taste of his own medicine.

After Buford successfully opened his door, he looked over at Baljeet who smiled and waved at him. "Goodnight, Buford."

"What, no goodnight kiss?" Buford asked, grabbing onto Baljeet's wrist to keep him from walking back to his apartment.

"Goodness no, I do not kiss on first dates," Baljeet said he turned back around to walk into his apartment, but Buford spun him around again and pulled him to his chest before Baljeet could even blink. Buford smiled down at him and pressed his mouth against Baljeet's, and Baljeet melted into his touch without much resistance. When Buford pulled back, Baljeet couldn't help the little frown that appeared on his face.

"Night, Baljeet," Buford said, winking as he shut the door to his apartment. Baljeet huffed and turned away from Buford's door.

"Cheeky bastard," Baljeet said, rolling his eyes. He walked into the apartment, still pretending to be annoyed as he made his way towards his room, but couldn't help the stupid grin that found its way onto his face once he had safely shut the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter seventeen of cupid, leave comments/ kudos if you've enjoyed it. Sorry for being behind on updates + the short chapter.
> 
> words 1130  
> characters 6722


	19. eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, I would be friends with the P&F crew.

> **Eighteen**

_"There are five ways to know you've completed a mission, and that the people you've been trying to get together are in love." Baljeet sat in the back of the class, small hands scribbling down every word that came out of the teacher’s mouth. It was his first day and Baljeet didn't want to miss anything. He was going to be the best matchmaker._

_"We'll get into all of them in time, but the biggest thing is this: when they walk into a room, who do they see? A lot of people will tell you that you truly love someone when they're always on your mind, but really, it's someone who can look at you and see all the ugly, all the flaws and still love you for it."_

_Baljeet's little hand flew into the air, and he practically bounced in his seat waiting to be called on. When the teacher nodded at him he started babbling a mile a minute - something his dad always yelled at him for. "What does this have to do with rooms?"_

_"Ah, you see, when someone can see you - all of you - and still seek you out first, that's how you know they're in love."_

"Where is Buford?" Baljeet asked when Django walked through the door. Baljeet glanced at the clock, it was six-thirty. Buford usually came home at six. Baljeet was anxiously and not so patiently awaiting his hello kiss.

"Still at the studio. He's working on a play and can't get the scene quite right. He's been stressing ever since they wanted to buy his play." Django said. He fell onto the couch and leant against Phineas's shoulder. He looked absolutely exhausted. Baljeet could only imagine how Buford felt.

"Oh." That was all Baljeet said before turning his attention back to the television. 

* * *

Baljeet was still laying on the couch when one A.M. rolled around. Django had left hours ago and Phineas had gone with him, leaving Baljeet alone to stare at the clock and wait for Buford to get back. Or maybe to at least call him and tell him he wasn't dead, but Baljeet didn't have a phone so he was left with only one other option.

Baljeet pulled on his fluffiest coat and his shoes, making sure to grab his keys before leaving his apartment. He pulled his collar up over his mouth as he walked into the night. Baljeet practically ran to the studio, always looking behind him to make sure no one was following him. When he reached the building where Buford worked he started banging on the door fervently.

"Buford! Buford let me in. It is very cold!" Baljeet yelled, hand starting to hurt from hitting the glass door so hard. Buford appeared nearly five minutes later, eyes squinted with sleep and an unplugged headphone sitting around his neck.

"Baljeet? What the fuck are you doing here?" Buford asked once he'd pulled him inside. Baljeet shivered and shrugged, and Buford started running his hands up and down Baljeet's arms to warm him up. "Did ‘ya walk all the way here in the dark?"

"I ran," Baljeet said, burying his nose in Buford's neck. Buford wrapped his arms around Baljeet and enveloped him in a huge hug.

"You're an idiot, I hope you know that," Buford said. Baljeet just shrugged his shoulders again and Buford picked him up and carried him towards his office. He plopped Baljeet down on his couch and moved back to his desk. Buford plugged his headphones back in and started fiddling around with his pen, leaving Baljeet to silently unthaw on the couch. Baljeet watched for a minute, trying to figure out what Buford was doing before he eventually walked over and sat on Buford's lap. "What are ‘ya doing?"

"Watching you work. Perhaps you could read me a scene?" Baljeet said, leaning his head on Buford's shoulder. He could feel the muscles moving beneath him as Buford rustled through cluttered pieces of paper on his desk. Buford started reading a piece of a play he had been writing before Baljeet got there. For someone who looked so tired, he was filled with enthusiasm as he read the play in different voices for each character. Baljeet closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the different descriptions of characters and scenes.

"Did you write this?" Baljeet asked, as Buford took a pause, nodded and continued reading. Baljeet just stared at Buford's profile as he kept reading the play, wondering how Buford could look so aggressive when really he was a teddy bear who wrote plays about mourning and love. He saw Buford's face contorting in funny ways as he expressed different characters, and even though the scene was pretty deep he couldn't help the goofy grin that found its way onto his face.

Buford took a long pause and looked at him expectantly. "Did 'ya like it?"

"No," Baljeet said. Buford looked momentarily crushed but Baljeet grabbed onto his hands and pulled them up to his face, holding them against his cheeks. "I loved it! Is this the play that your boss wants to buy?"

"Yes, and you're an asshole," Buford said, laughing as he grabbed Baljeet's face. Baljeet giggled as Buford pulled his face down to kiss him. Baljeet laughed against Buford's mouth and Buford just kissed him harder, trying to drown out his laughter. Buford tapped Baljeet's leg and he threw it over his lap, afterwards reaching his hands up to play with Buford's hair. Buford moved one of his hands down to hold onto Baljeet's hip and the younger boy stiffened a little, accidentally biting Buford's bottom lip. "Is this okay?"

"Yes, this is fine," Baljeet said, even though really, it wasn't. It was anything but fine but Baljeet had waited twenty years to feel this kind of fire in his veins and he couldn't stop now. Baljeet ran his hands through Buford's hair as Buford's right hand ran up and down Baljeet's back while his left held tightly into Baljeet's face.

"You good?" Buford asked when he moved both of his hands to sit lowly on Baljeet's hips. Baljeet nodded and shrugged off his coat because suddenly it was very warm and he wasn't a walking ice cube anymore.

Baljeet couldn't help but let his mind wander as their lips moved lazily against each other like they had all the time in the world to just melt into each other. When Buford pressed his tongue against Baljeet's bottom lip Baljeet opened his mouth almost too eagerly because _it happens just like this is all the love movies._

Baljeet leant more against Buford's body and wrapped his arms around his neck as Buford held him tightly around the waist. Buford pulled Baljeet closer to himself - or, he tried because the next thing they know the chair is toppling over and they're falling towards the carpet at an alarming rate for two kiss-hazed idiots.

When they hit the ground Buford let out a groan as the arm of the chair dug into his back. Baljeet lifted himself over Buford and looked down at him, grinning when he noticed how red and puffy Buford's lips were.

"Get off, I'm gonna break in half," Buford muttered, pushing Baljeet off of him. Baljeet rolled to the side and Buford pushed the chair off to the side before laying down next to Baljeet and grabbing his hand. "So why’d ‘ya come here, exactly?"

"For the sole reason of making out in a squishy office chair, of course," Baljeet said, looking over at Buford, who had his cheek smushed up against the carpet. "I am kidding, when I first moved in Django told me about how you overworked yourself all the time. I figured when you did not come swooping in the door at six, you would be here all night unless I came to get you."

"You remembered something from that long ago?" Buford asked, his words semi muffled from the carpet.

"Of course. I remember a lot of things. I remember the day you and I first met, too." Baljeet said. He remembered the day like it was yesterday, him falling out of the sky and landing on the asphalt, miraged blood pouring from wounds and Buford avoiding him like the plague until it was cleaned off.

"I guess I’ve only really remembered the important stuff. Like I remember my mom's birthday, and the days I have doctor's appointments or when I first realized that–" Buford cut himself off and turned his head to look at the clock. "It's two, d’ya think we should head back?"

"No, it is late, cold and very dark and I also had to run here so we should wait instead," Baljeet said, rolling over and throwing a leg over Buford's waist. Baljeet cuddled into his side, gripping Buford's shirt tightly. He considered climbing up onto the couch, but he was comfortable and waking up with a crick in his neck would be worth it if he could stay like this for a few more hours.

"You do realize I have a car, right?" Buford asked, but by the way, he was pulling Baljeet closer and throwing Baljeet's coat over the two of them Baljeet knew they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Buford, would you rather we go back to the human siren and his pet dog tonight? Especially when it is so quiet and peaceful here?" Baljeet questioned, laying his head on Buford's chest.

"Guess not," Buford said. He reached down and pulled Baljeet's chin up to catch his lips in another lazy kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter eighteen of cupid, leave a comment/ kudos if you’ve enjoyed !! I’ve finally finished setting up my discord so if anyone wants to personally contact me it’s in the location section of my ao3 profile, feel free to rant!
> 
> words 1680  
> characters 9630


	20. nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve seen more of Baljeet’s dominant side.

> **Nineteen**

They say those good things come and go, and the really good things leave the quickest. Baljeet knew that whatever he had with Buford wouldn't last forever, so when they hit the two-week mark without any interference from the Council or Vanessa, he knew something was up. But, because he was too wrapped up in Buford's arms and trying to take Phineas’ advice, he ignored the lack of intervening he was sure would come.

This proved to be an okay outlook on life until one Saturday afternoon. Buford and Baljeet were laying on Baljeet's couch, Buford leaving sloppy kisses all over Baljeet's face and neck when the door flew open and Baljeet accidentally kneed Buford in the stomach when he jumped.

Buford sat up next to Baljeet, who was staring at the person in the doorway like they were the scariest thing on earth. And at the moment, Buford could sympathize because even though he had no clue who the woman in the black leather jumpsuit was, she looked really angry. Baljeet immediately jumped off the couch and started babbling a mile a minute, like he usually did when he got nervous.

"Vanessa! W-what are you doing here? Are you okay? Is everyone else okay? How are my mom and dad and um, how is Ferb? Is everyone good? What brings you here?" Baljeet asked, leaning awkwardly on the back of the couch.

"Baljeet, shut up," Vanessa said. Then he looked at Buford, who's hair was messed up from cuddling with Baljeet all afternoon. "You must be Buford."

"That'd be me, nice to meet you, Vanessa," Buford said, lifting himself off the couch to shake her hand. Vanessa shook his hand and turned back to Baljeet.

"Where are your manners, Baljeet? Aren't you going to offer me a seat, or a drink?" Vanessa asked. Baljeet stared at her, dumbfounded for a second before just nodding and walking off to the kitchen. Vanessa sat down on the love seat opposite Buford and stared him down, and Buford writhed around in his seat uncomfortably. "Tell me about yourself, Buford."

"I, uh– I'm twenty-three, I work as a film writer and I live next door," Buford said. Vanessa looked unimpressed, but he didn't have any fancy credentials to tack onto the end of his statement- he'd barely passed college. "What?"

"I just thought you'd tell me something I didn't already know. Baljeet talks about you all the time." Vanessa said, leaning back in her chair and picking at her black-painted nails. This was false, however, Vanessa couldn't pass up the chance to embarrass her friend. She saw Buford lean forward in his seat and Vanessa took it as a sign to continue. "You know, Buford this, Buford that. Talks about your job and your smile and your polar bear pyjamas."

Buford flushed his sudden vigor for information gone as he slumped back on the couch. "Did he really tell ‘ya about my polar bear pj's?" Buford asked, voice muffled by the hands he was holding over his head.

"Don't worry, all good things, all good things. Said you were cute, looked like a marshmallow or something. I don't remember the exact details but he went on about it _forever_." Vanessa said, smiling to herself slightly. That actually had happened, Vanessa had called to talk to Phineas but he was out, so Vanessa got the forty-five-minute recap of movie night, nary a detail spared, and not one as important as Buford's ' _so fucking cute, I swear I was about to die_ ' polar bear pyjama bottoms.

When Baljeet walked back into the living room with Vanessa's tea, he didn't expect the glare to be from Buford and the small smile to be from Vanessa. Baljeet's eyebrows knitted together as he set the tea down and took his place next to Buford, who immediately flicked his ear. "Ow, what the fu– flower!"

Buford looked at him with his eyebrows raised and a bemused grin on his face but didn't ask any questions before launching into a lecture with that accusatory voice of his. Baljeet wasn't paying attention, taking more time to look at every dip and curve on the bottom half of Buford's face, telling himself he'd do the rest later but Buford's mouth was attractive and honestly one of the only places he cared about at that moment.

"–and, Baljeet, are you listening to me? Stop looking at my mouth." Baljeet sprung back to life when Buford grabbed his arms and shook him back and forth. Once Buford was sure he had Baljeet's full attention, he went back to talking. "Anyway, since I'm not repeating myself," he smacked Baljeet's chest. "I cannot believe ‘ya told her ‘bout my pyjama pants."

Baljeet frowned, "The polar bear ones? They are extremely adorable! I had to tell someone about them." Baljeet said, grabbing onto Buford's arm and snuggling into his side. "Besides, you are adorable in your pyjamas, and Vanessa is good at keeping secrets so I figured she would be an excellent person to tell."

Baljeet emphasized _good at keeping secrets_ by snuggling into Buford further and letting the older boy throw his arm around him. Vanessa looked at him as pleadingly as she could with another person there, but let their position go when Phineas came through the door with Django, hand in hand.

"Oh, this is a mess." Baljeet heard Vanessa say. If he was being honest he couldn't agree more, but he wasn't being honest at the moment. He was being quiet and secretive and held for the first time in his life by anyone aside from his mother, and he would rather be anything but honest at this point.

"Vanessa!" Phineas yelled, dropping Django's hand and throwing himself at their eldest friend. Vanessa caught him and they shared a hug that may have made Django a little jealous, judging by how he walked over and sat down next to Baljeet on the couch with a pout on his lips. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you and Baljeet about some things, but it's not important. Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Vanessa asked, motioning towards Django. Phineas got up from the love seat and crammed himself onto the couch with the other three boys, and Baljeet had to practically sit in Buford's lap to make room. Not that he was complaining. While Phineas introduced Django and they had a little screaming session, Buford was placing little kisses all over the back of Baljeet's neck.

"Hi," Buford said quietly as Phineas went into a full-fledged retelling of the time they went to the arcade - complete with wild gesticulations and audience participation (this meant that, poor Vanessa, who was just trying to drink her tea, was forced into posing as a human prop for Phineas's story).

"Hey," Baljeet answered just as softly. Buford continued to leave feathery kisses on Baljeet's neck as Baljeet watched the arcade story with bated breath. Of course, he knew how everything would end, he was there, but Phineas had a really bad habit of over exaggerating. The last thing he needed was for Buford and his’ literal midnight snack to turn into anything other than two bros getting cupcakes together.

"They're something else, aren't they?" Buford asked against Baljeet's skin. Baljeet nodded and leant his head back to rest against Buford's shoulder, and the two of them watched together as the story reached a - thankfully - anticlimactic end. Without the loud voices of both Django and Phineas trying to talk over each other, the apartment fell oddly quiet and all the attention was back on Baljeet and Buford. Or, more like Baljeet on Buford, and if Vanessa had a problem with their prior position Baljeet was sure this wasn't okay.

"Anyways, I have to talk to you two later, so no sleepovers." The statement seemed to be directed right at Buford, who nodded silently, his cheek moving against Baljeet's hair. Django popped right off the couch and moved to grab Buford, too, but Buford wrapped his arms around Baljeet's waist and held the younger's back to his chest.

"Do we have to leave right now?" Buford asked like it would kill him to let Baljeet go for even a half a second. Baljeet twisted around in his lap, and, against his better judgement, pressed a kiss against Buford's mouth. Buford kissed back and Phineas and Django let out a ' _gross, get a room_ '. Baljeet could feel Vanessa's less than pleased gaze on his back but he didn't care, not when Buford had his hands holding his waist and his soft lips pressed against his own.

Baljeet pulled away first, and Buford leant forward and let out a disgruntled sigh. "I will see you later," Baljeet said, resting his forehead against Buford's.

"Fine," Buford picked up Baljeet as he stood up and turned around to drop him back on the couch. Baljeet waved at him as Django pulled Buford out the door. After Vanessa had shut the door securely behind them, he spun around to Baljeet with a grimace on his face.

"You, Baljeet Tjinder, are in some deep shit," Vanessa said, sitting down on the coffee table. Baljeet squinted at him because Vanessa would never tolerate that from him, but he lets it slide. "Do you remember why you're here?"

"Phineas made me do it!" Baljeet yelled immediately, pointing his finger at the other boy. Phineas scoffed and sat down next to him, propping his feet up on the table.

"I didn't _make_ you do anything, I just let you do what you subconsciously wanted for so long," Phineas said, picking at his nails. Baljeet stared at him, then at Vanessa, then back at Phineas without saying anything because he didn't have an argument, not really.

"Anyway, whether Phineas did it or not, we have a big mess to clean up here. Obviously, you failed the mission, but as for living back at home, well, you'd have to go in for a hearing." Vanessa said. Baljeet leant back on the couch and sighed. He should have never taken Phineas's advice.

"Then, we should just not tell the Council, right? Everything will be fine. I will tell Buford I am moving again and you could send someone else to do the mission, you can do it yourself, just so it is done." Baljeet said, trying to work everything out in his head. He could leave and Vanessa could finish the mission, Baljeet could claim he did it himself and he'd get his wings back. Everything would be fine.

"Yeah, sure, sounds like a good plan except there's a problem," Vanessa said. He and Phineas were sharing looks, Phineas' practically screaming _don't you dare_ , while Vanessa's read _Phineas, I have to_. "You see, Baljeet, Buford is–"

"Vanessa," Phineas said, attention diverted away from his nails and to Vanessa's face. "Not right now. When we get home."

Baljeet's gaze flickered between Vanessa and Phineas, panicked. They commenced in a silent war that Baljeet could see that Phineas was winning. "We are going to go home?" Baljeet questioned.

Vanessa sighed and looked back towards Baljeet, a sad expression on her face. She laid her hand on Baljeet's knee and started massaging the skin there, something she only did when delivering bad news. "Yeah, Baljeet. The Council, they know about you and Buford. They're calling you back for a hearing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter nineteen of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed !! Buford is what?? Finish the damn sentence, Vanessa.
> 
> words 1905  
> characters 11130


	21. twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, Django would have more screen time.

> **Twenty**

Really, he shouldn't be surprised and he really wasn’t. Baljeet wasn't surprised but he was so caught up in his own feelings that when Vanessa told him it was time to start packing all he could do to keep himself from crying was yell in disbelief. But he wasn't surprised, not really.

Buford was surprised the next day when he snuck through Baljeet's window to see the younger male lying on his bed, clothes were strewn about his room haphazardly. Baljeet hadn't said anything to him, merely opened up his arms and Buford had fallen into the hug without resistance. They laid there for a while, Buford stroking Baljeet's back as the younger sniffled into his shoulder.

"Wanna talk about it?" Buford had asked, his voice muffled against Baljeet's hair. Baljeet had only shaken his head and they laid together for a few more hours until Vanessa came in and asked if they wanted lunch. She too looked upset, and Buford wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but he kept his mouth shut and gladly accepted the sandwiches Vanessa offered them ten minutes later.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Baljeet pulled back from Buford's chest and laid his chin on Buford's arm. At this point, Buford was half asleep, the repetition of rubbing Baljeet's back and the younger's soft breathing doing a good enough job of pulling him into dreamland. When Baljeet nudged him slightly with his head Buford opened his eyes, snapping to attention when he noticed how upset Baljeet looked.

"Vanessa is making me go back home," Baljeet said quietly. Buford looked down at him, a frown etched into his face. "But - and I am not making any promises - but I do not think I will be able to stay there for very long, so I think I will have to come back."

Buford stayed quiet for a minute, letting the information mull over in his brain. Baljeet held his breath, sure that Buford would just leave him like that because if it was Baljeet that's what he would do. He would leave and never turn back because falling in love then being forcefully ripped away from the very thing in which you had just admitted to yourself would make anyone–

Baljeet has pulled away from his inner mantra when Buford pushed his hair away from his face. "It's okay, Baljeet. Don't worry about it, I'll help ‘ya pack, okay?" Baljeet pushed his face into Buford's chest and shook his head.

"I do not want to pack, I want to crawl into a hole and _disintegrate_." Buford laughed and wrapped his arms around Baljeet's waist, pulling him up into the sitting position.

"Don't be dramatic, Baljeet," Buford said, pulling Baljeet's legs around his waist so Baljeet was in his lap. Baljeet pouted and Buford reached up to squish his cheeks. "Look, if ‘ya think you'll be back sometime, then we'll meet up when ‘ya get back. If ‘ya don't come back, well, then the past three months of my life have been pretty damn great."

"I do not want to leave, though! I do not want there to be an _'if you come back,_ ' I want it to be _when you come back_ , like a promise that I am not going to be stuck there forever!" Baljeet practically yelled, gripping onto Buford's shirt and shaking him back and forth. Buford was semi-lost but he figured he should let Baljeet just get it all out. "And then if I _do_ come back, I am a failure! And, and I just could not decide if I am doing the right thing or not because I feel good for the first time _ever_ , but this is not what I am supposed to be doing and–"

"Baljeet, Baljeet, shh, stop. You're crying." Buford said quietly, wiping Baljeet's face with the pads of his thumbs. Baljeet sighed and slumped against Buford's body. "We're goin’ to pack, and then we'll watch a movie and Vanessa will make more food and then you'll leave and it'll be okay, okay?"

Baljeet just nodded and let Buford pull him out of the bed and onto his feet. They started sorting through things quietly, Baljeet throwing clothes into boxes while Buford wrapped his picture frames and other potentially breakable things. They were doing this all in vain since it would all just be placed perfectly back in his room when Vanessa zapped them back home. But it was calming and almost normal and Buford seemed to be enjoying himself.

An hour later, Buford was taping up the last box while Baljeet sat on the floor in his almost sadly bare bedroom. Buford joined Baljeet on the floor once he was done and pulled the younger into his lap once more. Buford rested his palm against Baljeet's cheek and kissed him gently like he was afraid of doing something wrong or breaking him.

"Do not treat me like a kid just because I cried in front of you," Baljeet said, pulling Buford down to meet his lips again, only this time with more force. Buford put his hands on Baljeet's hips and pulled him closer while Baljeet's hands found their way to the back of Buford's neck. Baljeet opened his mouth and pushed his tongue against Buford's bottom lip.

Buford pushed Baljeet by his shoulders so he was laying on the floor and crawled over him, laying his hands on the younger's chest. Baljeet wrapped his arms around Buford's neck and pulled him closer so their chests were touching.

Half of Baljeet was screaming at him, _stop what the fuck are you doing Vanessa is literally ten feet down the hall and your door is open_ , but the other half of him was saying that he should put his hands in Buford's back pockets.

He put his hands in Buford's back pockets.

Buford pulled away from him and looked down at Baljeet, who was panting with his lips swollen and wet. Baljeet stared up at him, unsure what to do with himself because he wasn't sure how to initiate things.

"Hey, do you guys want to watch a movie..." Phineas's voice trailed off as he saw the tangle of limbs on the floor. "I guess I'll just close this, then."

"We'll be out in a minute, go ahead and start whatever you want," Buford said, rolling off Baljeet and onto the floor.

"Do not play any horror movies!" Baljeet yelled, throwing a forgotten sock at Phineas's back. He sighed and looked over at Buford, who looked almost as bad as he did swollen-lip wise. "Alright, do you care about catching the previews that Phineas refuses to skip?" Baljeet asked, rolling over and slipping his hand into Buford's back pocket once more.

"Not at all," Buford said, pulling Baljeet on top of him.

* * *

As Baljeet pushed the last unnecessarily packed box into the unneeded moving truck he looked back at Buford, who was bundled up in a heavy coat with a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. Whether this was because of the cold or because of Baljeet's departing gift(s), Baljeet doesn't really know.

Baljeet pulled the door closed and turned around to be met with two open arms, which he immediately fell into. Buford held him tightly and they stood like that for a while, Baljeet shivering from the cold bite of the night air and Buford doing his best to warm him up. Eventually, Vanessa threw a jacket at him and Baljeet put it on gratefully. He wasn't so grateful for the pressed glare sent to him when Baljeet turned around to thank her.

Baljeet opened his mouth to say something, anything, but he didn't have anything to say. So he just stared at Buford and Buford stared at him until Vanessa honked the horn of the moving truck. After that there was a flurry of limbs, trying to wrap around each other and hold on for just a little longer and there were lips searching for their match and eventually, they were back in the position they'd spent the past several hours in; Buford holding Baljeet and Baljeet with his hands in Buford's hair, pulling him even closer while Buford kissed the life out of him.

"Baljeet, come on!" Phineas yelled out the window. He'd said goodbye to Django nearly an hour ago after the movie had finished. Django had just shrugged, given Phineas one last kiss on the nose before wishing him luck on his trip home.

"Okay, so I was thinking, and did you know that I never got your number? Because I never did, and so just– when you get home or something call me or text me if you want, you don't have to, like um, don't worry about it too much." Buford said, pressing a folded up piece of paper into Baljeet's hand. "This isn't a goodbye, you know. More like an 'I'll see you later.’

Baljeet laughed through the tears that were reforming on his eyelashes. "It does feel a lot like a goodbye."

"It's not, okay?" Buford licked his lips and took a deep breath. "I- I–" 

"Baljeet, seriously!" Phineas shouted from the moving truck.

"I'll let ‘ya go, I'll see you later, alright?" Buford said, squeezing Baljeet's hand. Baljeet nodded and sniffled slightly, reaching up to kiss Buford's lips lightly.

"I will see you later, Buford," Baljeet said, pressing one last kiss to Buford's lips before making his way to the unneeded moving truck packed full of unnecessarily packed boxes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading cupid, leave a comment/ kudos if you’ve enjoyed the chapter !! And that’s how cupid ended.. Haha just kidding… Unless...?
> 
> words 1586  
> characters 9036


	22. twenty-one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, “Act Your Age” would’ve been longer.

> **Twenty-One**

Everything was exactly the same. Same bright colours and same people milling around as there were before. Baljeet looked around, half expecting Isabella to come out of nowhere and trample him, but he was thankful for the lack of fairy attached to him just yet. Baljeet sort of expected something to be a little different, it's been three months since he'd been home, but nothing had changed. Not even the old pixie guard that Baljeet was pretty sure still asleep on the ground next to the front gates when he left.

Vanessa led him back to his room, the room that opened when it sensed him instead of Baljeet having to remember a key. Baljeet reached into his pocket and pulled out his apartment key anyway, the apartment key he didn't need anymore. Maybe he should just toss it out. Baljeet shoved it back into his pocket.

"You look extremely less happy than I'd thought you'd be," Vanessa said as Baljeet waited for his door to open. Hopefully, it remembered him.

Baljeet shrugged, "I am not sure either. I think I am too used to the mortal world. I will be fine in a few hours." Vanessa nodded and let Baljeet escape into his room.

Baljeet looked around at all of the stuff thrown about, all pictures, video games and things he thought were so important that now held little to no meaning to him. He flopped onto the bed and fell asleep almost immediately, the comfort of his own bed temporarily distracting him from the pain in his chest.

He woke up with a pain in his back so intense that he felt like he was going to die. Baljeet scrambled off the bed, clawing at his back and choking on his sobs. He ran to his mirror, turning around hurriedly to see two small wings making their way out of his shoulder blades.

Baljeet dropped to the ground, his knees hitting the floor. He rested his forehead on the ground, taking on the position of someone doing a full-on, gripping the carpet and tensing his shoulders as his wings ripped through the muscles in his back and tore through his shirt.

Vanessa must have heard him biting back his screams, for his door practically flew open and Vanessa ran into the room, abruptly falling onto the ground next to Baljeet. Baljeet shuddered when Vanessa's hand met his tender skin, and he bit his lip to keep from yelling out.

"It hurts, what the fu–" Baljeet was cut off by a wave of intense pain racking through his body, and he had a fleeting moment of sympathy for all the late bloomers, the kids who got their wings when they went through puberty rather than being born with them. This fucking sucked.

"Don't worry, it's almost over," Vanessa said, prodding one of the wings with his finger. Baljeet hissed in pain and scooted away from him, the movement making his torn shirt fall away from his body. His still, teary eyes flew open because there were definitely some bruises on his chest and probably on his hips too, little dots serving as a reminder that Buford liked him, and he liked Buford and Baljeet had left him behind.

Baljeet kept his face to the floor, even when the stabbing pain had subsided into a dull ache. He could feel Vanessa's scrutinizing gaze on him, on his hips, and Baljeet shifted uncomfortably under her stare.

"Well, okay then," Vanessa said. She stood up and brushed off her pants, her voice tight in her throat. "I'm just going to go. Your parents are waiting for you, by the way. Whenever you're ready."

Vanessa slipped out of the room and Baljeet let himself sit up from the carpet. His wings sat heavily on his back, making him hunch over. He'd spent so long without them that he wasn't used to their weight. He wasn't sure if he'd actually missed them. Baljeet turned to look at himself in the mirror, eyes glazing over the hickeys on his chest and flicking up to his wings, bright and vibrant against his sun-kissed (and Buford’s kissed, his mind reminds him) skin. He'd gotten tan after many days sitting on the roof, some of them spent contemplating what to do about Django and Phineas, a very memorable one spent thinking about Buford's lips on his cheek the night after the bet.

Baljeet ran his hands over his wings, feeling the silkiness of the feathers under his fingertips. He took his left hand and pressed two fingers to a particularly prominent hickey on his collar bone and sighed. "This... this is all wrong." He muttered. He got up and pulled on a shirt, then ruffled around in his closet for his enchanted jacket.

His wings disappeared as the electric blue fabric slipped over his shoulders. Baljeet pulled his shirt up to cover the bruise on his collarbone and left his room, patting his back pocket to make sure he had his key, even though he didn't need to. 

* * *

Baljeet's parents were waiting for him when they got to the cafe area, and his mom broke out into a run upon seeing him, his father following quickly after her. Baljeet didn't move, his feet were stuck to the ground, so he just opened his arms and caught his mom when she barreled into his arms. He practically fell backwards with the force, but thankfully caught himself before he plummeted to the ground.

"Baljeet, I’m so happy you came home, I missed you." Mrs. Tjinder choked out, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Mr. Tjinder joined the embrace, wrapping his strong arms around both his wife and son.

"Hello Papa and Mama," Baljeet whispered keeping his usual formal tone as buries his nose in his mom's hair. He soon felt tears beginning to trickle down his face, and he hastily wiped them away with the back of his hand. "I have missed you so much."

"It's okay, Baljeet. You're home now." Mr. Tjinder said, smiling at Baljeet and ruffling his hair. Mrs. Tjinder pulled away from Baljeet and stared up at him for a minute before wrapping her arms back around him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Yes, home," Baljeet said, voice tight as he tried to cough away from the lump in his throat. His parents lead him over to a table where Phineas and Isabella already sat, talking animatedly about something. It reminded him a little of Django and Phineas, that one time they'd been on a date and they'd crashed the _friendly_ cupcake sharing between himself and Buford. Buford.

"Jeet!" Isabella yelled, throwing himself over the table to wrap Baljeet in a hug. Baljeet smiled weakly and patted her back as Isabella rattled on about how bored she was without him or Phineas around, and how glad she was that they were back.

"Alright, Isabella, give him a little air," Phineas said. Isabella immediately dropped her arms from around Baljeet's neck and stepped backward. Baljeet smiled gratefully at Phineas and slid into the chair next to him, making Isabella pout slightly as she took the chair next to Baljeet.

"Wings?" Phineas asked under his breath. Phineas had lost his wings after he'd kissed Django, and he had them on full display, bright white feathers fanning out around his shoulders.

Baljeet nodded and Phineas raised an eyebrow. "They are under my jacket. They were heavy." Baljeet said. Phineas nodded but kept an eye on him as he turned back towards Baljeet's parents. They were engaged in deep conversation, about something that Baljeet couldn't hear.

"So, Baljeet," Mr. Tjinder started, situating his hands on the table and lacing his fingers together in a way that Baljeet knew he meant business. "Your mother and I have been talking about this whole mission situation. And as you know you have a hearing on Friday."

If Baljeet was drinking something he may have to spit it out. It was only Sunday, he had to wait nearly a week to even see the Council, let alone hear back from them to see if he got to stay or not.

"And if you don't get to stay, we've arranged with you to go live with your aunt, you know, the pixie?" Baljeet nodded. He did know the aunt, the pixie aunt. The aunt that was usually crying about something, the aunt that frequently found herself under the feet of other people. The aunt that probably should have died four years ago. "Would that be okay with you? You won't have your wings or anything, but you'll still be close enough to where you can hang out with your friends and be a part of our lives."

"I will think about it," Baljeet said. Phineas glared at him out of the corner of his eye but Baljeet just stared down at his hands, picking at his fingers silently. His parents dove into a conversation with Isabella and Phineas' fingers snapped in front of his face. "What?"

"You're not actually thinking about it, are you?" Phineas whisper screamed at him. Baljeet shrugged and looked up at Phineas briefly, met his glare and looked back down. "I didn’t work for three months - I did _not_ put my relationship with Isabella on the line - just so you could give up, lay down and die. I know you hate your aunt. Why would you live with her when you could go back to Buford?"

"Your relationship with Isabella?" Baljeet questioned, eyebrows shooting up into his hairline.

Phineas sighed, resting his head in his hand, letting his hair flop over the blush forming on his cheeks. "Is that all you got out of that?"

"No, I understand that you want me to be happy, but... your relationship with Isabella," Baljeet said. Phineas buried his face in his hands and Baljeet glanced at Isabella briefly, who had apparently overheard, as she was blushing furiously and struggling to maintain eye contact with his parents.

"We'll- we'll talk about it later, okay?" Phineas muttered, the sound muffled by his hands pressed against his cheeks. Baljeet laughed and patted Phineas once on the shoulder lovingly and nodded.

Baljeet saw Ferb waving at him with one hand from the corner of his eye, wringing his messy shirt with the other. Ferb's hair was much messier than how it usually is, _a makeout session_ Baljeet assumed. Baljeet waved back at the boy. "Vanessa needs to see you," Ferb said before promptly spinning on his heel and walking away, avoiding Baljeet's questioning gaze.

"It seems like everyone is falling in love aside from me," Baljeet muttered, standing up and dusting off the bottom of his shirt. He started walking away, and over the chatter of everyone in the cafe, he heard a snort and a _'whatever'_ comes from Phineas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-one of cupid, leave comments/ kudos if you’ve enjoyed the chapter !! I've written way too much Phineas and Ferb fanfic prompts this week. About five to be exact, four of them are bujeet the other one's phinabella hopefully you'd also enjoy them. 
> 
> words 1783  
> characters 10279


	23. twenty-two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would be more crossovers.

> **Twenty-two**

Baljeet walked into Vanessa's office, his hands were shaking and his wings fluttering under his jacket. It was scarily similar to three months ago when Baljeet walked into this exact same office and was given the mission to get Buford and Django together. It seemed kind of crazy to him that three whole months had passed, but it made sense, in a way.

"Vanessa? Ferb said you would like to see me." Baljeet said, voice coming across light and timid like he was walking on very thin ice and even the softest of sounds might break it.

"Baljeet, come here for a second," Vanessa said. Baljeet walked forward and sat down in the chair in front of Vanessa's desk, his stomach was doing flips. Vanessa leant forward and rested her elbows on the table and sighed. "I don't even know what to do with you, Baljeet."

"Excuse me?" Baljeet squeaked out, wringing his hands together in his lap. He hadn't thought about it before, well, he had, but only fleetingly, about the fact that he was failing everyone. Even Vanessa seemed disappointed, and the revelation made him want to cry. Vanessa had always been there for him, always picked him up when he fell, always supported him, and now, with her elbows on the table and her shoulders sagging, Baljeet can't help but feel that he failed her and that it's the worst feeling of his entire life.

"I just," Vanessa licked her lips and ran her hands through her hair. "I don't know what to do about you, Baljeet. I could be selfish; I could talk to the Council and have them revoke your wings and let you stay here as my personal assistant. That's what your parents want, that's what your friends want, hell, that's what I want. I just don't think that's what you want, is it?" Vanessa looked at Baljeet, a pained expression crossing her face.

"Vanessa," Baljeet said softly, reaching across the table to take hold of one of Vanessa's hands. It was covered in glitter, and Baljeet smiled briefly at the thought of Ferb holding her hands, trying to console his girlfriend when in reality he was just as nervous. "Do not–"

"You're in love with him, right?" Vanessa asked, barely coughing out the words like there was a tie around her neck squeezing her airways. Baljeet's eyes widened and he kept quiet, staring at Vanessa's face as the older girl sniffed back tears. "I'm sorry for crying, Baljeet. I just don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"Without me?" Baljeet asked, running the pad of his thumb along Vanessa's knuckles.

"You have to go back, Baljeet. You love him, you love Buford, don't you? You deserve to be happy, you have to go back." Vanessa was nearly sobbing at this point, her forehead rested on Baljeet's hand. Baljeet stared down at her, the usual strong Vanessa, withering away to a crying mess.

"M-my parents said I may live with my aunt. I- I am still thinking about living with her." Baljeet tripped over his words, his brain swimming as he tried to get out a coherent thought. "I could possibly be your assistant too, while I live with her.

Vanessa brought her head up and glared so heavily at Baljeet, he thought he might crumble under her stare. Baljeet shrugged meekly and Vanessa rolled the chair away from the desk to grab something out of the filing cabinet behind her. She slid the black file folder across the desk and Baljeet caught it before it slipped off onto the floor.

"Read this after your hearing, alright? Don't read it any sooner." Vanessa said, then she sighed and ran her hands over her red eyes. "I'm not even supposed to give that to you, so don't um, don't tell anyone."

"Do not worry, I will not tell anyone," Baljeet said, shoving the black folder up the front of his shirt. Vanessa laughed at him and pointed to the door. Baljeet left the office quietly and looked out into the hallway to see if anyone was around before slipping the black folder out from under his shirt and running his fingers over the front of it. He sighed and started walking to his room, wanting to get there before his family could catch up with him.

Baljeet's doors opened as soon as he turned down the corridor, waiting for him to walk through before closing almost violently. Baljeet shrugged off his jacket, his wings making him slouch slightly as he walked to his desk and threw down the folder. He was itching to open it, but he figured he could let it sit for five days. He could wait.

The white bag he'd taken to the mortal world with him was sitting on the desk chair, still filled to the brim with things Buford had deemed important enough to carry himself instead of putting in moving boxes. Baljeet grabbed it off the chair and took it to his bed.

When he pulled the zipper back the book bag practically exploded, the jacket that Buford had insisted on stuffing in there rocketing out of the bed and onto the floor. Baljeet laughed and picked it up, shaking it out before laying it on the bed.

He pulled out a picture frame next, the picture of himself, Phineas and Isabella from the barbecue. Buford had taken a particular interest in the picture after he picked it up, and it'd taken Baljeet a full three minutes to get him to stop laughing. He'd had to revert to kisses. Not that either of them was complaining.

The next thing crammed into the bag was a pair of socks. Baljeet rolled his eyes and threw them off the bed. Buford had insisted that Baljeet keep them on hand, _just in case you get stuck in a rainstorm and your feet get wet_ , Buford said. Baljeet had taken them out on more than one occasion, but Buford had shoved them back in each time until Baljeet just let it go.

There was only one thing left in the small bag, which made Baljeet's eyebrows pull tightly together because there seemed to be too much left in the bag for there only to be one thing left. He pulled out the article of clothing, a sad smile finding its way onto his face as the pyjama pants rolled out, polar bears on full display.

Baljeet choked, throwing one hand over his mouth while the other gripped tightly to the pyjama pants. He could feel the tears coming on but he pushed them back. He'd been decidedly too emotional in the last two days, and Baljeet didn't think he could take another round of crying.

"What an asshole," Baljeet muttered, wiping under his eyes. The polar bear pants sat in his lap and Baljeet stared down at them, tears still pooling in his eyes. He'd done his best to try and distract himself, on the way to the cafe to meet his parents he'd said hi to everyone who passed him so he didn't have to worry about being alone with his thoughts, and on the way to Vanessa's office, he busied himself with counting all the feathers on the wings of the person walking in front of him.

Baljeet had thought he'd done a relatively good job up to this point, but with Buford's stupid pyjamas in his lap and the fact that they still smelled like him was enough to have Baljeet's entire facade crumbling around him. Baljeet looked at the clock, it was early but late enough to where he could go to bed without being questioned too harshly.

Baljeet hopped off his bed and grabbed his blue coat. It was going to be uncomfortable to sleep in, but when his wings went away and the weight lifted off his back, Baljeet couldn't find himself to care much. Then he kicked off his pants and slipped on Buford's, the fabric engulfing him a little and sagging off his hips.

Baljeet crawled into bed and the lights snapped off. He pulled the covers up and stared at his ceiling, his once tired mind now running wild. It had been a while since he slept alone, even the few nights Vanessa had demanded no sleepovers, Buford had snuck over in the middle of the night and crawled back out of the window in the morning when he heard Vanessa coming down the hall to wake Baljeet up for breakfast.

The bed just seemed too big, too empty without another person lying beside him (or laying on him, Buford was kind of a bed hog). Baljeet sighed and kicked the blanket off of him before pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his nose in the soft fabric of Buford's pyjama pants. He fell asleep with the smell of Buford's warm vanilla sugar body spray in his nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-two of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed !! Buford high-key breaking Baljeet’s heart even more and I’m here for it.
> 
> words 1486  
> characters 8317


	24. twenty-three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, we would’ve seen more of Buford’s soft side.

> **Twenty-three**

"So are you nervous?" Phineas asked through a mouthful of pie, a homemade specialty of his mom. Baljeet shrugged and ate a little piece of his own food, but he wasn't really hungry. There were two days left until his hearing, and he'd spent all of Monday laying in bed cuddling with Buford's pyjama pants, and most of Tuesday trying to figure out what was going on between Isabella and Phineas.

"I am not so sure what to feel," Baljeet muttered, poking around at his pie. Phineas sighed and rested his hands over Baljeet's fidgeting ones. Baljeet looked up, his lip quivering as he shook his head. "I feel like I am disappointing everyone sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Phineas asked, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I think everyone’s happy that you're finding yourself and finally found your happiness."

"Except Vanessa does not want me to leave, and neither do my parents. If I do not keep my wings they still want me to stay here and I do not know if I can leave them again." Baljeet swiped below his eyes, laughing dryly and shaking his head. "Why am I fucking crying? This is idiotic."

Baljeet flopped his head down on the table, barely missing his plate of pie. Phineas pushed it out of the way and scooted his chair around the table so he could sit next to Baljeet. He rested his hand on Baljeet's back and frowned at his best friend, who was shaking his head, probably making marks on his forehead from the pattern on the table.

"Baljeet, listen to me," Phineas said, pulling Baljeet away from the table by the hair on the back of his head. Baljeet winced and looked over at Phineas, bottom held between his teeth to keep his chin from moving. "Don't feel pressured to stay if you aren't happy. I know that I said everyone would kill to be in your position, but that's not completely true. The people here that have made a life for themselves, your parents, Vanessa, they're all not going to understand why you want to leave. But here's the thing, Baljeet, they don't need to understand."

Phineas stopped, took a breath, and looked at Baljeet to make sure he was listening. Baljeet nodded weakly and Phineas continued. "As long as you're happy, Baljeet, we're happy. Whether you're happy here, wingless living with your crazy aunt and still working for Vanessa, or in the mortal world wasting your days wrapped around a boy who makes you feel like his whole world, we all just want you to do what makes you the happiest."

Baljeet laughed and looked at Phineas, a sort of adoration in his eyes. "You know, Phineas, you are kind of an idiot but sometimes you do pep talks very well."

Phineas laughed and smiled, showing all his teeth as he leant forward and hugged Baljeet, holding him tightly for a second before pulling away. "Yeah, I do that sometimes. Wanna come play video games with me and Isa? You can put on pyjamas and then come to my room."

Baljeet wrinkled his nose, "Are you sure I would like to sit on your bed? I have taken notice that Isabella's room has been strangely empty since we got home..."

Phineas punched Baljeet's shoulder, sending him falling off his stool onto the ground. It wasn't like the time Phineas had punched him in the face, this time he was laughing and there was a blush on his face and he was refusing to make eye contact with anyone, Baljeet included. "Shut up, okay? S-she doesn't want anyone to know."

"Oh my god!" Baljeet practically squealed, jumping off the floor and wrapping Phineas in a hug, spinning him around while Phineas attempted to kick him. "This is so cute, I have been behind this relationship forever."

"Baljeet, shut up and go get on your pyjamas. Be in my room in fifteen minutes." Baljeet nodded and practically skipped to his room, happy that Phineas had finally removed his blindfold to see how utterly in love Isabella was with him. When Baljeet's bedroom doors opened he saw that there were clothes thrown on his bed, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

Vanessa had said that the Council would do a sweep of his room to make sure he didn't bring back anything dangerous from the mortal world, and it looked as if they had found something or tried their hardest to find something. Baljeet ran into his room and immediately fell to his knees and pulled a black box from under his bed. He threw off the lid and, thank god, Buford's pyjama pants were still safely tucked away inside.

Baljeet sighed in relief and looked back at all the clothes on his bed ominously like maybe they'd come to life and attack him. He stayed on the ground until he noticed the little note laying on top of one of the shirts.

_I don't know what you may think, but blue doesn't match everything_

_\- your favourite boss_

Baljeet pulled his eyebrows together and looked at the shirts, one in nearly every colour. He ran his hands over them, not really getting the point until he realized that he'd been wearing his electric blue jacket the whole time he'd been home, even to bed, and that it didn't match all of his outfits. Baljeet slipped off his jacket, wings immediately fanning out around his shoulders and he pulled off his shirt.

Baljeet leant down and grabbed one of the shirts laid on his bed, and sure enough, when it slid over his shoulders his wings disappeared. He practically jumped in excitement at the thought of not having to wear the heavy blue jacket all the time.

He contemplated not wearing Buford's pyjamas, wanting to keep them all to himself, but Baljeet was halfway out the door, clad in polar bear pants and a white t-shirt before he realized that maybe he shouldn't be flaunting his mortal world possessions, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when he, himself faintly smelled like warm vanilla sugar. Not when he was finally sleeping alright, as long as he was being swaddled in the soft fabric of Buford's favourite article of clothing.

Phineas's door was already open when he arrived, and Isabella and Phineas were inside, fighting over what game to play. Phineas wanted Just Dance, while Isabella wanted Overwatch. Baljeet stood in the doorway and watched for a second, an amused grin on his face while Isabella tried to puppy-dog eyes her way into getting what she wanted.

"C'mon Phinny, please," Isabella begged, wrapping her arms around Phineas' shoulders and pressing their foreheads together. Phineas mumbled something along the lines of _why should I_ and Isabella grinned and punched Phineas' butt. "Because you love me, and I'm cute."

"Okay, but I don't even like Overwatch," Phineas said, but the Just Dance disk was slowly falling out of his grasp as Isabella peppered kisses on his face.

"But you like _me_ ," Isabella said. Phineas sighed and slumped his shoulders, and Isabella smiled. As Phineas bent down to put Overwatch in the game console Isabella pinched his butt again. "Thanks, Phinny, you're the best."

"Yeah, whatever. Watch the door for Baljeet." Phineas muttered. Isabella turned towards the door to see Baljeet already standing there, a large grin on his face. Isabella blushed a deep red and just stared at Baljeet until he walked into the room and sat himself down on the bed.

"If it would have been me," Baljeet said, squinting his eyes against the bright glare of the tv. "I would have gone with Mario Kart."

"Obviously," Phineas muttered. Isabella's eyebrows shot up into her hairline and Baljeet just shook his head. Phineas grinned at the chance to embarrass his best friend. "Oh, Isa, didn't you hear? Our ‘Jeet here got himself a boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend," Baljeet said, pushing off the arm Phineas had wrapped around his shoulders. Phineas was staring at his back, free of wings yet also free of his blue jacket. "Vanessa enchanted some more clothes for me."

Phineas's eyes flickered down to Baljeet's legs and he smirked. "Speaking of clothes, where did you get those, hmm?"

Baljeet blushed and pulled his shirt down as if it was going to cover his floor-length pants covered in familiar bears. "Do not say a word"

"I'm confused," Isabella said, eyes glued to the screen, focusing on a game she'd started without Baljeet and Phineas. She glanced over for a second at Baljeet's pants before looking back at the screen. "Oh, are those the infamous polar bear pants? Vanessa has told me about them."

"Yes, Isa, they are!" Phineas yelled enthusiastically before looking back at Baljeet. He rested his chin in his hand and pulled his eyebrows together in a mock of questions. "So that leaves me to wonder, how did you get them, Baljeet?"

"Buford put them in my bag, alright? I did not steal his pyjamas. Buford gave them to me." Baljeet said. Phineas huffed, unimpressed and turned back to the screen. Baljeet looked down at the little bears on his pants and grinned.

"Can you stop it, Baljeet? That lovesick grin on your face is making me nauseous." Isabella said, slamming her thumbs down on the buttons on the controller. Baljeet scoffed and shoved her off the bed.

Baljeet rolled his eyes, grabbing the controller and starting a new game. Baljeet didn't do very well, not when he was up against a competitive teenage fairy that won everything, and definitely not when he couldn't focus due to the constant thought of a certain fading blonde-haired fellow at the front of his brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-three of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed !! Isabella in this AU high-key loves video games cool cool. Also, sorry for not updating for the longest time! To be honest, I had the chapter pretty much finished weeks ago. I just didn’t know if it was good enough (also didn’t update because I was falling behind on studies and I thought I was gonna fail (I didn’t though, don’t worry)).
> 
> words 1616  
> characters 9457


	25. twenty-four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would be more baljeatles songs.

> **Twenty-four**

Baljeet tucked the black box under his bed and shoved some clothes in front of it, just for good measure. Then he stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. His curly hair was much neater than usual, leaving his tie slightly askew as he wasn't exactly sure how to knot correctly so he tied it like a one-laced shoe. His shirt looked okay, his pants unwrinkled, wings hanging heavy on his back. Baljeet patted them awkwardly. It'd been so long since he'd had to deal with them for more than a few hours, but he had to have them in front of the Council.

"You ready?" A quiet voice came from his doorway and Baljeet turned around to see Vanessa, dressed in a button-up tuxedo similar to his own, Baljeet nodded. He wasn't ready, but he had fifteen minutes to get to the council room, and at this point, if he didn't run he'd probably be late.

Vanessa nodded in response and took off, wings fluttering slightly and Baljeet shakily entered the air after her. He was out of practice, and his wings faltered every few feet, sending him dipping down and soaring up at random intervals. Baljeet finally just hooked his arm with Vanessa's and let the older female pull him along, her tired body slumping with exertion.

He'd hardly slept the night before, no matter how hard he snuggled into Buford's pyjama pants or tried to recall the constellations that had once littered his ceiling, he couldn't fall asleep. Not with the outcome of his entire life sitting on the horizon.

The council room was big, huge, gargantuan, even. Much bigger than Baljeet had ever remembered, much more intimidating than the one he'd imagined when he thought out the scenarios of how the day would go. Baljeet looked over to see his parents seated on the benches where matchmakers and fairies were told to sit. Phineas and Isabella were beside them, holding their thumbs up with big grins on their faces. Vanessa patted Baljeet on the back once before walking over to join them. Ferb was on the other side of the room with the nymphs and pixies.

Baljeet walked to the center of the room where there was a foldable chair waiting for him. He snorted under his breath when he sat in it, it was cheesy and cheap compared to the thrones the council members sat on, dark mahogany with gold detailing. Baljeet rolled his eyes and leant back in the chair, his wings prodding uncomfortably into his back.

"Baljeet Tjinder," a voice boomed from its place on one of the thrones. Baljeet jumped, immediately coming to attention as his eyes flickered around the room rapidly, looking for the voice. An old man came out from the shadows and Baljeet had to pinch his thigh to get his mind back on track. He couldn't help but think that this was a lot like the suspense movies he'd watched with Buford. "Please come forward."

Baljeet stood up from the chair and walked forward on quaking legs, willing himself not to fall over or pass out. This was no big deal. He'd be fine.

"I assume you know why you're here?" The voice asked, and Baljeet swallowed the thick lump in his throat before nodding. His eyes flickered over to Vanessa, who was moving her hands in a kind of rolling motion, and Baljeet spoke despite his voice shaking with nerves.

"Yes, sir. I have failed my mission." Baljeet sighed and looked at his shoes. Polished. Vanessa had made sure of it. "Once again."

"Is that all?" Baljeet's head immediately swivelled towards Vanessa. It was rude to look away from the Council when on trial, but he couldn't help it. They couldn't have found out about Buford any other way; Vanessa must have told them. Vanessa started shaking her head, _no_ , she didn't tell them. But then how–? "We found this in your room. They're cute, but they're not yours."

Baljeet whipped his back around the Council, all of the members have emerged from the shadows. The voice that had been talking to him belonged to a short matchmaker with a beard that reached the floor, and in his hand were Buford's pyjama pants. Baljeet was sure they could see how much he was shaking, his knees knocking together with so much force that he was sure everyone in the room could hear them smacking together.

"H-how," Baljeet's voice died in his throat, his eyes glued to the pyjamas that had brought him so much comfort before, but now gave him the urge to bury himself alive. The council member dropped them onto the ground and Baljeet bit back a gasp. _They won't break, Baljeet. They're not glass._ He told himself, even though at that moment the clump of fabric seemed even more valuable than the most expensive China.

"I hope you realize, Baljeet, just how serious this is. What if you had been found out?" The council member asked. There was murmuring from the pixies, and they were immediately quieted down by Ferb.

"I-I did not have my wings. I did not have anything, i-it was safe." Baljeet said, pulling his eyes away from the pants on the floor to look at the bearded matchmaker. He looked unimpressed, his lips pursed together and his hands folded behind his back. He turned towards the fairy and matchmaker side, trying his best to make eye contact with everyone on the benches. "I would never put us in danger, never ever. You know that."

"Not even to have your happily ever after?" Another council member asked. She was tall and thin, her hair pulled into a tight bun and her glasses sitting on the end of her long, crooked nose. "I do hope you haven't lost sight of what we're here to do, Mr. Tjinder. We give love, we don't get love."

"I know that!" Baljeet practically yelled. He _did_ know that. He'd told Phineas practically the same thing after he'd kissed Django. Baljeet was losing his cool, his already frazzled composure crumbling even further. "I know I do not get love, I-I know. I was just trying to make everyone happy. I had a plan."

"You should know better than any of us that things don't always go to plan. We thought you were smart enough not to put your people in danger for a boy." The murmurs began again, this time from both sides of the room, even from Baljeet's own parents because despite being open-minded, something about being gay still sent things a little off-kilter. Baljeet looked around, making eye contact with people talking behind hands and earning sideways glances from the pixies.

"He does not know! He would _never_ know!" Baljeet tried to say over the growing intensity of the crowd. His knees, once hitting together every few minutes were now clanking together with every shaky breath Baljeet took. He was trying his best to keep his tears at bay, but the Council looked disappointed and people were talking all around him and he didn't know what to do. Buford's pants were still laying discarded on the floor, the heel of one of the council members' shoes caught in the waistband. "Please, I did not mean to put anyone in danger. I-I was not thinking–"

"That's right, you weren't thinking. You're dismissed, Baljeet. We'll get back to you in the next few days. If I were you I'd start packing." The member with the glasses said. Baljeet looked at her, practically begging with his eyes to give him just a few more minutes.

"Please, just give me a minute to explain. This was not supposed to happen, I did not mean to–" Baljeet tried to explain in a hurry but tripped over his words.

"You're dismissed, Baljeet." The bearded matchmaker told him. The council members walked away at that point and Baljeet dove to the floor to pick up the pyjama pants, but the member who had hooked them with her shoe kicked them out of his reach before he could grab them. She picked them up and flipped them over her shoulder, and Baljeet could only watch as she walked away.

"Please," Baljeet said, his voice coming out like a broken whisper. The council room had cleared out, for the most part, only Baljeet's friends lingering behind. Baljeet sat back on his knees and put his head in his hands, curving over himself to provide himself with some sense of security. His wings fell over his shoulders and scraped his arm, and he wanted to scream. He didn't want this. He didn't _want_ wings, or fairy dust, or special rooms that opened when they sensed you. Baljeet wanted to walk places and wanted to do things for himself and wanted to have an apartment key that'd he'd forget more often than not and he wanted to be able to knock on Buford's door and sheepishly ask him if he could crawl in Baljeet's window and open his door for him.

"Baljeet," Vanessa rested a hand on Baljeet's back and Baljeet looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Let's go back to your room."

Baljeet didn't say anything, just let Vanessa hook an arm over his shoulders and pull him up so Vanessa could fly them back to his room. Baljeet felt like a dead person, just flopping along as Vanessa pulled him to and fro to keep him from running into anything. When they finally made it to his room, Ferb, Phineas and Isabella were already there. Baljeet could hear them before he saw them. "I oughta walk down there and give them a piece of my mind-"

"Phineas, don't calm down before they get here." A voice that seemed like Isabella’s, came spurting out after.

"No, they didn't even let him talk! It wasn't fair!" Phineas retorted.

"Phineas, please. We'll talk about it later but we don't want to upset him any more than he already is." Isabella tried to reason, her soft voice a stark contrast from Phineas's harsh one. Phineas looked ready to continue arguing, but when he saw Vanessa round the corner with a half-dead-looking Baljeet draped over his shoulder he bit his tongue.

Ferb gave Baljeet an encouraging smile, reaching out to hold him up when Vanessa reached around to pull Baljeet's arm off her shoulders. Baljeet slumped against Ferb as Vanessa opened his door. Ferb helped him inside and pushed him down on the bed, and Baljeet flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Hey, Baljeet, you know this isn't your fault, right? You didn't put us in danger." Phineas said. He sat down on the bed next to Baljeet and patted his thigh, but Baljeet didn't even look at him. "And, and I can talk to them. About making you give Buford a chance. I'll tell them it wasn't your idea."

"Can you all leave, please," Baljeet asked quietly. Ferb and Vanessa looked at each other, and Phineas glared at them. He couldn't leave his best friend like this. He couldn't. "Please leave. I need to cry in peace."

"Baljeet, no, it's okay," Phineas said, moving up the bed to pull Baljeet's head into his lap. Baljeet started crying then, burying his head in Phineas's stomach and holding tightly to the back of his shirt. "Oh, oh my god."

"Why is he upset? I thought he wanted to go home?" Isabella asked quietly out of the corner of her mouth.

"Because they'll do whatever they think will punish him the most. In this situation, that would be taking away his wings and taking the Tjinder’s up on their offer to move him in with his aunt." Vanessa quickly explained. Isabella nodded and looked back at his friend, who was practically wrapped around Phineas, sobs wracking his body. "Or they'll send him back to the mortal world and wipe Buford's memory."

"No," Isabella breathed, looking over at Vanessa. Vanessa nodded and Baljeet must have overheard, for a particularly heart-wrenching sob half choke thing ripped out from his throat. Phineas leant over him and started whispering in his ear, cradling Baljeet's head in his arms.

"They would never," Baljeet choked, pulling out of Phineas's embrace. "They would never."

"They would," Ferb said, and Vanessa backhanded him in the chest. Ferb huffed as the air was knocked out of him and he clutched his chest. "Sorry, I meant no, never. They wouldn’t ever."

Baljeet eventually got everyone out of his room, and as soon as they were gone he broke down again, having kept his tears back for the hour they'd refused to leave him alone. Baljeet took off his shirt and put on one of his enchanted hoodies. He kicked off his pants and bent down to pull his pyjama pants out from under his bed when he remembered they weren't there.

Baljeet fell asleep cold with tears drying on his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-four of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed. To be honest, I planned to finish cupid by November but “you should know better than any of us that things don't always go to plan”. Also, there are six chapters left of cupid so definitely lookout for those.
> 
> words 2163  
> characters 12377


	26. twenty-five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would be more baljeatles episodes.

> **Twenty-five**

Baljeet was sitting on his bed, dictionary in his lap when Phineas busted through the door, hardly giving it time to open fully before squeezing himself through. Phineas flopped down on Baljeet's bed and looked over at the dictionary, fingering the pages with a smirk on his face.

"Some light reading?" Phineas questioned, dropping the dictionary back onto the bed and leaning back on his hands. Baljeet laughed hollowly and flicked his gaze up to Phineas briefly before looking back down.

"Vanessa told me that the Council may give me a chance to talk again. This timeless formal, more of a face-to-face so I can try to explain my side of the story. I am trying to find something to say other than 'I did not know this would happen when I started and I did not mean to put anyone in danger I am truly sorry.'," Baljeet coughed and brought his notebook up in front of his face.

"How does this sound, 'Sirs and Misses, I was unaware of the potential dangers of the situation when I began this excursion. My sincerest apologies to anyone in which I may have put in danger or altered the lives of during my endeavour. Please consider these points when thinking about the finality of the situation.' So, yes? No?"

"You lost me at ' _and Misses_ ,'" Phineas said. Baljeet sighed and pushed the dictionary and his notebook off the bed. Phineas dug around in one of the bags he'd brought and pulled out a tupperware box of food. "I brought breakfast."

"Breakfast? Phineas those are egg rolls." Baljeet said, but he picked one of them up anyway and shoved all of it in his mouth. Baljeet hadn't eaten since the last time he was in the cafe with Phineas, and even then he'd only had a few bites of pie.

"Yeah, and? Eggs are a breakfast food." Phineas said. Then he pulled the box of egg rolls towards himself. "If you're going to be picky then I'll just eat them all myself."

"Phineas, please. I love you. But just so you know, egg rolls do not actually have eggs in them." Baljeet said, reaching for the egg rolls. 

Phineas laughed and pushed them back in the middle of the bed before leaning over and picking up Baljeet's notebook. He read over it again and shook his head before dropping it back onto the floor. "Don't even sweat it, Baljeet. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did, though. I totally fucked up." Baljeet said, then he winced at himself. Before going to the mortal world he never cursed, and now he swore like a sailor. He blamed Buford. "I hardly did anything to help the mission, I was there for three months and the only thing I achieved was getting Django to admit to me that he loves Buford. It was a total failure."

"Okay, but you still didn't put anyone in danger. I don't know where they're getting that." Phineas said, pushing another egg roll into his mouth. Baljeet shrugged and leant back against his headboard, twiddling his thumbs. "So when's your next hearing?"

"If they give it to me, later today. Are you having one?" Phineas raised an eyebrow. "You know, because you failed your mission too, right? When you kissed Django?"

Phineas swallowed and shook his head. He licked his fingers before answering Baljeet. "Nah, I wasn't there on an official mission. I'm in the clear." Phineas said around his thumb. 

Baljeet groaned and beat his head back against the headboard. "Of course you are. You are always in the clear." He muttered. Phineas sighed and looked at him, looked at the dark circles under Baljeet's eyes and the sallow colour of his skin.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Baljeet shook his head. "What about the night before?"

"Hardly. I was too nervous. Yesterday I was just cold. They did not give me back– well, you know." Baljeet said, looking down at the covers and picking off some of the crumbs from the egg rolls. Normally he hated when people ate in his bed, but this time around he couldn't bring himself to care.

"I can't believe they snooped around your room," Phineas said. Baljeet shrugged again and sighed. He should have been more careful about where he put them. Maybe he should have carried them around with him instead of praying that no one would look under his bed.

"It is alright, I guess. They have the rights. And besides, if I never go home again I will have to get over him sometime. If they keep the pants maybe I will get better quicker." Baljeet tried to reason. He'd spent the whole night before trying to convince himself that he didn't need the pants to sleep, that he wasn't that reliant on Buford. He'd given up about three am when someone walked down the hall outside his room and he found himself wishing that Buford was beside him, pointing at constellations and whispering the names in his ear.

"Home?" Phineas asked quietly. Baljeet looked up, his eyes wide in realization. Phineas looked hurt, his eyebrows pulled together as he picked at his fingers.

"No, I mean–" Baljeet dragged his hands down his face. "I _know_ this is my home, I am sorry, I do not–"

Baljeet was cut off by Phineas throwing himself at him, arms wrapped tight around his neck. Baljeet hesitantly put his arms around Phineas's shoulders and patted his back. Phineas pulled away shortly after and wiped below his eyes. "Whoa, what? Phineas, what is wron–"

"My work here is done," Phineas said, smiling down at Baljeet. Baljeet was still confused, pulling his eyebrows together and biting his lip. "Look, don't hit me, alright? But Vanessa, she told me like, six or something months ago that I needed to help you find yourself. You've never been happy here, Baljeet. So I looked at your file, and it said that you–"

"My file? Matchmakers have files?" Baljeet asked. Phineas nodded and Baljeet crawled off his bed, practically diving towards the file on his desk. Could this be his file? Is that why Vanessa wanted him to wait before he opens it? Baljeet didn't know, but he grabbed the file anyway and dropped to the ground in front of his desk. Phineas came and sat down next to him, looking over his shoulder at the black folder in Baljeet's lap.

"Is that yours?" Phineas asked, reaching down and peeking into the folder. He pulled the file out of Baljeet's hands and put it off to the side. "Maybe you should wait, just until the Council decides if you're going to get to leave or not."

"Why?" Baljeet reached for the file and Phineas pulled it away from him. "Phineas, give me the file, seriously."

"Just wait, okay? Like a few more hours at least, until they contact you. Just– Baljeet!" Baljeet had dove over Phineas's lap and grabbed the file, rolling away and sitting on it before Phineas could grab him. "Baljeet, seriously."

"What? What is so horrible, Phineas? Why should I not look at it?" Baljeet asked, glaring at Phineas. If he wanted he could just look at the file, pull it out and open it and reveal all the secrets inside, but Phineas always knew him better than he knew himself. If Phineas said it was a bad idea, then for whatever reason, Baljeet had to believe him.

"I just want you to do what you think is best for you, Baljeet. I want you to think about yourself, and not worry about anyone else. Not me, not your parents, not Vanessa, not even Buford. I need you to figure out exactly what you want for yourself. Then you can open the file. When you can tell me exactly what it is you want out of life, then you can open it." Phineas said. Baljeet nodded and played absentmindedly with the edge of the folder.

"What," Baljeet licked his lips and looked down briefly, before looking back at Phineas. "What do you think I want?"

Phineas laughed and shook his head. "That kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think? You have to decide for yourself." Phineas pushed Baljeet's shoulder enough to where he could grab the file out from under him. Phineas opened one of the desk drawers and slipped it inside. He then looked back to Baljeet, who was biting his lips nervously. "It's not bad, Baljeet. It's just that it could sway your opinion one way or another, and depending on the outcome of all of this, it could break your heart."

"Wow, Phineas, I am so comforted," Baljeet said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. Phineas shrugged and laid down on the floor to stare up at the ceiling. Baljeet leant back on his hands and let his head fall between his shoulders. He looked up at the ceiling, up at the constellations he had drawn the night before at the clock hit four am.

"That is Betelgeuse, and the Big Dipper," he whispered to himself, tracing the outlines of the constellations. Baljeet startled when his door opened. Ferb stood in the doorway, panting heavily with his hair messed up, sticking to his face on one side. "Wow, Ferb, did you and Vanessa–"

"The Council," Ferb wheezed, resting his hands on his knees. He wasn't much of a runner. "They've made their decision."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-five of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed !! Huge chapters are coming up but then again these are the endgames. Five chapters left.
> 
> words 1574  
> characters 9000


	27. twenty-six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would be more fireside girl's side stories.

> **Twenty-six**

Baljeet walked into the council room, déjà vu creeping upon him like an old, unwelcome friend. Phineas and Ferb flittered off to their respective places once they had come through the door, leaving Baljeet alone in the middle of the room with only a cheap foldable chair for company. He sat in it, and this time he was able to lean all the way back in it. Baljeet had rushed straight out the door when Ferb had come to get him, forgetting that he'd had on a hoodie Vanessa had enchanted for him. It could get Vanessa in trouble, but it was too late now.

"Baljeet Tjinder, nice to see you again," came the voice of the old bearded matchmaker. He was sat in his tall mahogany throne, his beard cascading from his chin down into his lap and resting there like an old cat. The matchmaker with the long nose and glasses was sitting beside him, holding Buford's pyjama pants. Baljeet glared at her. "So, as you know we've only taken a day to deliberate. This is not without reason.–"

"If you say anything about me putting our world in danger I am going to have to stop you right there," Baljeet said. The bearded matchmaker looked extremely caught off guard, and Vanessa's hiss of ‘ _Baljeet Tjinder_ ' could be heard over the sudden dead silence of the council room. "S-sorry, I am not sure where that came from. Sorry."

The matchmaker took a deep breath. "Anyway. We decided that after your hearing on Friday that everything you did, you did without knowing what danger you put us in." Baljeet sucked in a giant breath. This was it. They were going to let him go home. "But, if they'd have figured you out, we would have been done for. I'm going to need you to turn around. Take off your hoodie."

"Wha–" Baljeet finally leaned in front of his chair, confused at the sudden request.

"Turn around, take off your hoodie. I'm taking your wings. Be glad I'm not forcing you to tell me who gave you that lovely enchanted garment." Baljeet turned around and slipped off his hoodie, trying to keep his hopes high. They were going to take his wings either way. He could still go home. Baljeet hugged the hoodie to his chest as he felt his wings fan out around him. The soft feathers tickled his bare arms and he closed his eyes. Either way, this would be the last time he felt the heavyweight of feathers on his back. The last time he would have the chance to fly.

"This is what you want, Baljeet. You will be okay." Baljeet whispered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut as a dull ache began in his shoulder blades. The pain was reversed from when his wings came back, the dull burn slowly morphing into a stabbing pain that had Baljeet reaching out for the plastic chair and gripping it until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream until his lungs bled but he wouldn't, he wouldn't show weakness in front of the Council. Not this time.

Baljeet bit on his lips as the pain increased, and it took everything he had in him not to fall to the floor. His legs shook violently, but as he decided to admit defeat the pain subsided and Baljeet felt like he could breathe again. Baljeet slowly let go of the chair and put his hoodie back on, wiping under his eyes before he turned back to the Council. The long-nosed woman looked sickly proud of herself when she saw how deflated Baljeet looked.

"Baljeet, not only did you fail your mission, you put the entirety of our race at risk. I'm sorry to say this," Baljeet held his breath. Here it comes. _I'm sorry but I'm going to have to dismiss you as a matchmaker. Pack your bags, you're going to the mortal world._ "But I can't have you running in the mortal world, putting us all in danger. You're going to have to live here, as Vanessa's assistant. You can thank your friend for convincing me to let you keep your room, so you won't have to move in with your aunt."

Baljeet stared at the councilmen, looking at each one of them in the eye individually. He felt his heart drop to his toes and he nodded. Baljeet felt a lump forming in his throat and he just kept nodding, unsure what to do with himself. He heard the people in the benches getting up and leaving, and a piece of fabric hit him in the face. The polar bear pyjama pants fluttered to the ground and Baljeet watched them fall blankly.

"Baljeet," Phineas's voice sounded out quietly in his ear. Baljeet didn't move, not even when Phineas put his hand on Baljeet's back and shook him lightly. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Baljeet asked, looking over at Phineas with teary eyes. Phineas sighed and leant down to pick up the pyjama pants, slinging them over his shoulder.

"Because this is kind of all my fault. Like if I hadn't come to the mortal world you may have actually succeeded. I don't know, I feel like I totally ruined your life. I was stupid, and I just wanted you to realize that you weren't happy here and were happier elsewhere. That damn arrow didn't even work on me and even when I saw that you wanted to pass the mission before you and Buford started, I didn't let up. I should have. I'm sorry." Phineas said. Baljeet looked over and Phineas sniffed, trying to hide his tears from Baljeet. Baljeet sighed and wrapped an arm around Phineas's shoulder. Phineas rested his head on Baljeet's shoulder and sighed. "I'm so so sorry."

"Do not worry about it. I am so thankful that I got to be happy, at least for a little while. It is okay. I will be okay." Baljeet said. He patted Phineas's shoulder and walked away, leaving Phineas to his own devices.

Baljeet walked back to his room with his head down, silent tears falling down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor as he walked. He bumped into a few people and murmured half-assed apologies before continuing. Baljeet didn't even notice that his door didn't open until he ran into it. He looked up at the door, sealed tightly shut and he banged his fist against it, thinking it was jammed.

"What? Let me in." Baljeet muttered, hitting the door with the palms of his hands. The door stayed perfectly shut as Baljeet hit it, and the horror of the situation slowly dawned on him. They'd taken his wings officially. They'd taken him out of the system. His door wouldn't open for him anymore. "Oh my god."

Baljeet turned around and sat down on the ground, resting his back on the door. Baljeet pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his head on his knees. People padded around him, some talking with the people next to them and others playing music so loudly out of their headphones that Baljeet could hear it.

Baljeet saw a pair of familiar shoes stop in front of him. He looked up and saw Ferb, who had a stack of books in his arms and a questioning look on his face. Baljeet sniffed and shook his head, hitting the back of his hand against the door.

"The door does not let me in. Wings are gone. Out of the system. It does not recognize me." Baljeet said. Ferb frowned and reached into his pocket, the books in his arms tilting precariously.

“Here.” Ferb dropped a tube of fairy dust into Baljeet's hands and moved the books around in his arms. Baljeet looked up at him and stood up slowly.

"You love her? Vanessa, I mean." Baljeet asked. Ferb looked shocked momentarily, his eyes widening and his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. "Vanessa? You love her, right?"

Ferb nodded, books swaying in his arms. Little strands of glitter started falling to the floor and Baljeet nearly smiled. "I do. I love her a lot."

"That is great," Baljeet smiled ruefully and sprinkled a little bit of fairy dust on the floor in front of his door. It opened right away and Baljeet stepped one foot inside to make sure it didn't close again. "I am happy for you, Ferb. I am happy for both of you. You are perfect for each other."

Ferb's face fell and he pulled his eyebrows together in sympathy. "Baljeet–"

"Goodnight, Ferb. I will see you tomorrow." Baljeet said. He stepped inside his room and closed the door before Ferb could say anything to try and comfort him. Baljeet walked over to his desk and opened the drawer, the black file staring up at him. He leant down and picked it up, wondering if he should open it. It's not like anything in it would sway his decision, he couldn't do anything to change the Council's mind.

Baljeet changed into his pyjamas and crawled into bed. He flicked on his lamp and opened the file, closing his eyes and bracing himself before looking at the papers in the folder. Baljeet read over the first paper quietly, lip wobbling slightly. There was another paper under the first and Baljeet brought it to the front.

Baljeet's eyes immediately flickered to the bottom of the page in anticipation, and his heart seemed to drop right out of his body, fall through the bed shatter onto the floor.

* * *

[ page 1/2 ] 

**SUBJECT: Baljeet Tjinder**

**DOB: 970503**

**EYE COLOR: Dark Brown**

**HAIR COLOR: Black**

**INTERESTS: math, flying, hanging out with friends**

**DISLIKES: spiders, bugs, the bottom of cupcakes**

**STATUS: in love (with Buford Van Stomm [file 789] - human)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-six of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed !! That was an interesting ending. I did tell you this chapter was big but then again, y’all already know Jeet was bound to fall in love with Buford. Four chapters left.
> 
> words 1638  
> characters 9158


	28. twenty-seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would be more "That's the Norm" epidosdes.

> **Twenty-seven**

Baljeet had always found Vanessa's office to be a place of wonderment. It was always covered in black and fairy dust, one never knew what could pop out at them at any moment. Baljeet had always thought Vanessa did this to keep her job fun and exciting when in reality, it was-

"Ferb, babe, _please_ stop touching things." Baljeet walked into Vanessa's office for his first day of work to see Vanessa sitting at her desk, head in her hands while, Ferb stood off to the side, covered in fairy dust with strands of glitter falling out of his fingertips in rapid succession.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to break it-" Ferb said before he was cut off. Vanessa was one of the few people that Ferb trusted enough to have long talks with. Even Baljeet, who has known him for years, never heard him talk for more than thirty minutes. 

"Ferb, come here," Vanessa said, using one hand to summon Ferb towards her. Vanessa scooted her chair out, standing up so Ferb could sit. Then, Vanessa would sit on his lap, throwing her legs over the opposite armrest. Vanessa turned Ferb’s head in her hand and smiled brightly. "Do you think I care? You could break everything in this office and I'd be perfectly fine with it. Don't, though. Please don't break everything in my office."

"I never do it on purpose." Ferb pouted slightly and Vanessa lifted her head from Ferb’s chest to rest her forehead against Ferb's. There was glitter pooling in the dip where Ferb's legs met Vanessa's and Vanessa picked some of it up and wiped on Ferb's nose.

"You're so cute," Vanessa muttered, pressing a quick kiss to Ferb's lips. Ferb blushed and started stuttering under his breath and glitter shook out of his hair. Vanessa patted Ferb's thighs, "Now, hop up, I need to fix this before Baljeet gets here."

Baljeet fell back into the hallway to avoid being seen and waited for Vanessa's chipper, "All done!" before walking back into her office. Ferb was hunched over on the floor trying to sweep up the glitter with his hands and Vanessa was watching him, a broom in her hand.

"Hey, Vanessa," Baljeet said, moving to stand next to Vanessa. Ferb jumped, sending the few morsels of glitter he'd collected flying into the air. He let out a disgruntled sigh and went back to sweeping the glitter with his fingers for a minute until he realized the broom in Vanessa's hands. He took it with a glare.

"So, Baljeet, your first day of work, how do you feel?" Vanessa asked, wiping miscellaneous glitter on her pants. She looked over at Baljeet with a grin on her face that only faltered a little bit before straightening itself out again.

"Like death," Baljeet answered numbly. Vanessa could see why, his eyes were bloodshot and there were bags under his eyes, and his cheeks looked sunken in. All in all, he just looked tired and walked all over. "But, honestly, I am fine. Stop looking at me like that."

"Alright, alright, sorry. Anyway, do you think you could help me carry these books back to the library?" Baljeet nodded and scooped the books up into his arms and Vanessa nodded before plopping one right on the top. "And that goes back to the council room."

"Like, where the councilmen are?" Baljeet asked unsurely. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to go see them so soon. Didn't want them to see just how badly he was hurting. He didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

"Well, that's generally where they reside, yes," Vanessa said. Baljeet deflated but nodded anyway. This was his life now, following orders blindly and making sure he does them to the best of his ability. "Or, you could just take a look and see where they are, see if the coast is clear."

"What do you mean?" Baljeet asked, looking at the Great Book weighing down his arms and making his unused bicep muscles scream. Vanessa walked forward and opened the book to a random page. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a little pouch of fairy dust and sprinkled it on the pages. Baljeet watched as Vanessa closed his eyes and the pages started flipping wildly to and fro until they landed on a page towards the back of the book, and on them were the faces of each council member and their whereabouts.

"Looks like no one is in the council room!" Vanessa said, but Baljeet was still staring down at the pages dubiously. "How did I do that, you're wondering? A little bit of fairy dust and imagination. Now, on your way."

"So, you can see anyone with this?" Baljeet asked. Vanessa nodded and smiled brightly at him, and Baljeet practically ran out the door. "I'll be right back!" Baljeet turned right down the hallway, towards the library, before hanging a left down a different hallway. He sprinted to his room, books very nearly falling out of his arms and scattering across the floor. Baljeet dropped the library books outside his door and swept some of the fairy dust off the great book and onto the floor so his door would open. He almost fell inside, tripping over the many books that Vanessa had given him.

Once inside Baljeet, (not so) patiently waited for the door to close before falling to the ground and opening the Great Book. He pulled his tube of fairy dust out of his pocket and sprinkled some on the pages, closed his eyes tightly and practically screamed inside his mind, _Buford Van Stomm_.

The pages of the book turned as if the wind had picked up until they landed softly and showed Baljeet exactly what he'd asked for. Buford Van Stomm, curled up on the couch watching Glee with a cupcake on his lap. Strawberry, Baljeet's favourite. Buford was staring down at it, the perfectly iced treat sitting on a plate and almost tipping over every time Buford breathed. His mouth was moving but, Baljeet couldn't hear him, but he could see him. Could see the crown of his fading blonde hair and he could see his plaid pyjama pants (always the go-to if the polar bear ones were dirty) and he could see Baljeet's hoodie swaddling him.

"Hi," Baljeet whispered to no one in particular. It may have been a little creepy, but he needed to see Buford. It'd been nearly a week and a half since the last time they'd talked, and Baljeet was originally only holding on with the hope that he'd see him soon, but now he was stuck and Buford would never see him again.

Baljeet's talking seemed to have broken some sort of barrier, for sound started flowing out of the book at such a volume Baljeet thought he'd get caught. He had to deal with it though, for books don't have volume control.

"Django, can you bring me a knife?" Buford asked, and Django appeared with a butter knife in hand. He looked down at Buford sadly before retreating to wherever he'd come from. Buford slowly scraped the icing off of the cupcake and set the plate off to the side. Baljeet knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. Who only eats the bottom of the cupcake? Gross.

"Buford, I think you should shower today." Django's voice came from somewhere in the apartment. Buford ignored him, biting into the bottom of the cupcake. "I know you're waiting for a call, but if you don't shower soon he's going to be able to smell you through the phone."

"Very funny, Django. Leave me alone." Buford said, shoving the rest of the cupcake in his mouth. Baljeet giggled to himself and Buford shot to attention, looking around the apartment with his eyes wide. "Django did you hear that?"

"What? No." Django said. Then he plopped down next to Buford on the couch and dipped his finger into the icing Buford didn't eat and licked it off. "I think you're hearing things, Buford."

"No, I could've sworn I heard Baljeet’s laugh. I know that sound, Django. Don't test me." Buford said, still staring up at the ceiling. Baljeet held his breath, smart enough not to make a sound but not willing to cut the call and close the book.

"I think you need some sleep, Buford. You've been watching Glee for like four days straight. Go to bed." Django said, resting his hand on Buford's shoulder. Buford ignored him still, looking around the apartment with his eyes narrowed. Then he sighed and slumped back into the couch, very nearly sitting in the icing.

"Maybe. I wish I knew why he hasn't called me." Buford said. Django frowned and climbed off the couch so Buford could lay down. Django leant against the armrest and absentmindedly tucked Buford's feet into the blanket.

"Didn't you say he doesn't have a phone? Payphones are a thing of the past, Buford. Maybe he _can't_ call you. It's not like he doesn't want to." Django said. Buford sighed and turned over so his face was pressed against the couch. He mumbled something that Baljeet couldn't make out and Django waited for a second, watching Buford's back until his breathing evened out and he was asleep. Then he patted the back of his legs with a sad smile and walked away. Baljeet closed the book and scooped it up in his arms.

He contemplated shoving it under his bed, keeping it just for tonight and then returning it in the morning. Baljeet stepped back towards his bed, then thought better and walked out of his bedroom and dropped the Great Book on the pile of other ones before heading to the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-seven of cupid, leave kudos/comments if you’ve enjoyed !! Vanessa’s a top and Ferb’s a bottom cool, cool. Three chapters left.
> 
> words 1608  
> characters 9175


	29. twenty-eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would be earlier Canderemy moments.
> 
> Yes, yes early update I adore y’all.

> **Twenty-eight**

Baljeet had to run from the library to Vanessa's office after realizing he'd been gone for nearly an hour. Most of that time had been spent with him trying to find his way around the library, but even at that, he'd only spent thirty minutes amongst the old books and even older pixie librarians. After that, he'd run back to his room and then sprinted back to Vanessa's office.

"Oh, Baljeet, you're back," Vanessa said without looking up when Baljeet stormed into the room. He was panting and he had his hands on his knees, but he waved anyhow. "What took you so long?"

"Got," Baljeet wheezed. God, when did he get so out of shape? Maybe it was all that cupcake icing he'd eaten in the mortal world. "Got lost, you know, as you do."

"Got lost in a place you've lived your entire life. Very believable. Is Buford okay?" Vanessa asked. She was still looking at the papers on her desk and Baljeet stood to attention, his eyes wide. Vanessa laughed and looked up from the paper she was writing on. "What, you think I didn't know? Why else would I show you that little trick of mine?"

Baljeet just stood with his mouth open and looked at her, and Vanessa grinned at him cheekily. "He is alright," Baljeet eventually spat out. "I mean, I think so? I do not know. He is upset that I have not called him yet, but I do not have a phone or anything. But um, thank you for letting me see him."

"No problem, Baljeet. I figured you needed a little bit of closure. Now, can you organize these files for me?" Vanessa pushed some of the files to the edge of the desk. "They go in that cabinet over there, sorry if it's kind of a mess, I haven't cleaned it in a while."

Baljeet nodded and walked over to the filing cabinets, and upon pulling one open the entire thing shook and burst open, sending file folders and papers flying everywhere. Baljeet looked down at the papers scattered about the floor dubiously, and Vanessa looked up from her work nonchalantly. "Maybe you could organize that too if you want."

"No problem, Vanessa," Baljeet said sadly as he stared at the papers littering the floor. He already wanted to quit the job he never took with consent. Baljeet scooped up the papers one by one and started putting them back in their files, and with each paper put away another seemed to appear out of thin air. "I hate my life."

* * *

Eventually, Baljeet got everything squared away, the files organized and the cabinet to a point where it wouldn't explode if you opened it. It had taken him nearly all day, and he'd skipped his lunch break seeing as he was trapped in a sea of dark-coloured papers when it rolled around. Vanessa had offered to buy him dinner, and the rest of their gang decided to tag along to the cafe. They all crammed themselves into one booth, Isabella having to practically sit in Phineas' lap to fit. Neither one of them seemed to mind.

"I feel like a fifth wheel," Baljeet muttered to himself. Vanessa pouted and pulled him over to her side of the table. "What are you-"

"Did you open that file I gave you, by any chance? Just wanted to make sure you were okay." Vanessa whispered, cutting him off. Baljeet nodded and looked down at his hands. He was hoping Vanessa wouldn't bring it up. He didn't want to talk about it. "Baljeet, seriously, are you okay? Have you talked to your parents?"

"No, Vanessa I am fine, seriously. My parents could not care any less." Baljeet said, even though some of it was a lie. His parents definitely _did_ care, they were just choosing to ignore it. Baljeet had said it a little louder than he'd intended, dragging some attention from the couple across the table and Ferb, who was sitting on the other side of Vanessa. Isabella raised an eyebrow and looked between Baljeet and Phineas, searching for an answer. "It is no big deal, Isa, do not worry about it. Just Baljeet messing things up as per usual."

"It is a big deal, Baljeet," Phineas said. Vanessa raised an eyebrow and looked between the two, trying to figure out how Phineas knew confidential information. "Maybe we can talk to the Council, have them reconsider–"

"Drop it, okay? I fucked up, I broke the rules, there is no going back." Baljeet said. Vanessa frowned and opened his mouth to chastise Baljeet for cursing, but Phineas was already talking again before she could.

"Seriously, Baljeet, we should talk to them. We're matchmakers, remember? We give love. It's our job." Phineas told him, and Baljeet squinted his eyes. Using his own words against him. What a bastard.

"The Council would never give love to someone like me, Phineas. I broke the rules, I am in love with a human, it is not allowed." Baljeet practically hissed. A few heads turned their way and Baljeet hid his face behind the big sleeve of his hoodie. Isabella looked a little taken aback but quickly recovered, and Ferb didn't react at all. Vanessa must have told him. "At any rate, even if they would send me back to give Buford love, since that is their job, they would not. They hate me."

"They don't _hate_ you–"

Baljeet turned towards Vanessa and scowled at him. "No, they definitely hate me. No need to lie. I could run around here wielding a knife, or do something to put our race and danger, and they'd sooner have someone stabbed than send me back to the mortal world. As long as I am not happy, they are happy."

"That's not true, Baljeet–"

"It is true!" Baljeet yelled, standing up from the table. "They want me as miserable as possible because I have always been a _dud_! I have never been able to do any of this matchmaking stuff right and now they are getting their revenge by making my life miserable! I- I do not deserve, I never _have_ deserved my wings a-and this is just, this is just payback for all the time they wasted on me!" Baljeet brought his fist down on the table with a heavy slam, his chest heaving as the realization of what he'd done sank in. He looked around him at all the people who had come to the cafe to try and enjoy their dinners in peace but instead were rudely interrupted by someone who didn't even deserve to be amongst them. "I-I apologize but I have to go."

"Jeet! Isa, move, seriously c'mon– Baljeet!" Phineas ran after Baljeet, who was already sprinting towards his room as quickly as he could. Phineas debated just leisurely flying up to him, but Phineas also lived for drama so he jumped over a bench and dropped his head, barreling towards Baljeet, his legs working as fast as he could make them.

"Baljeet, stop! You know you're not a runner!" Phineas yelled and Baljeet stutter-stepped, giving Phineas just enough time to jump and tackle him to the ground. Baljeet groaned and rolled over with Phineas on top of him so he could cradle his head.

"Jesus, Phineas. I know you live for this kinda stuff but could you have a little sympathy on my skull?" Baljeet moaned, pulling at the hair attached to the spot he'd slammed his head into the ground. Phineas just shrugged and sat back on Baljeet's thighs.

"Wanna tell me why you're being such a drama queen? Buford's shows have changed you." Phineas said. Baljeet scowled at him and dropped his head back onto the floor.

"Because I am a literal piece of shit, Phineas. I do nothing right–"

"That's never bothered you before," Phineas said. Baljeet reached up and punched him in the shoulder and Phineas shrugged. "I'm just telling you."

"But I am sick of it, you know? I have accepted my fate; I am going to have to stay here and be miserable for my whole life. Fine, whatever. I can almost ignore it if you and Vanessa are not talking about it every two seconds." Baljeet said. Phineas frowned at him and helped him up off the ground.

"We just want to help you, Baljeet. And what I said, I meant it. Matchmakers are supposed to give love, it's what we're made to do. And every matchmaker gets a trial to try and convince the Council of why they should be able to marry before they can get married, I say you use your trial as a reason you should get to be sent back to the mortal world." They were headed in the direction of Phineas's room, but Baljeet didn't really mind. He was almost out of fairy dust anyway, before long he wouldn't be able to get into his room at all.

"But I doubt they would listen to me, they never did before, what would make them change their minds?" Baljeet asked. Phineas shrugged and his door opened, and Baljeet was momentarily jealous that his door wouldn't open automatically for him anymore.

"Well, maybe if they won't listen to you, we'll have to get you to the mortal world some other way." Baljeet and Phineas jumped when Vanessa's voice sounded out from behind them. Phineas recovered first.

"What do you mean, Vanessa?" Phineas asked, patting Baljeet's cheek to bring him back to earth. He'd always been easy to spook.

Vanessa smiled and turned towards Baljeet, who was shaking off the last bits of jumpiness. "Baljeet, how do you feel about one last mission?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-eight of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed the chapter !! Genuine question- how mad would y’all be if they failed the last mission? Two chapters left.
> 
> words 1617  
> characters 9130


	30. twenty-nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, there would be more Ferb TV episodes.

> **Twenty-nine**

Baljeet rolled over in bed, checking the clock one more time before pulling back the covers, the cold night air penetrating through his jeans. He was already dressed, he'd even worn his shoes to bed. Baljeet reached under his mattress and pulled out the Great Book, looking down at it for a moment and running his hands over the dark leather before tucking it inside his jacket as best he could.

Baljeet had considered giving it back the day Vanessa asked him to, but halfway to the council room, Baljeet had decided it could wait. He wanted to use it just a few more times.

He was supposed to leave later that morning for his "mission" and figured he should return the book before leaving for good. Baljeet contemplated taking it with him, just to be a shit head, then remembered that it was the only way he could talk to any of his family members once he was back in the mortal world.

The only problem with having the book was the fact that _technically_ , he wasn't allowed to have it out of the council room, but no one had to know. So as the clock struck three am, Baljeet shoved a pouch of fairy dust in his pocket and walked out of his room.

The hallways were dark and cold and Baljeet could hardly see five feet in front of him, making it hard for him to navigate the twisting and turning corridors. Baljeet stuck one hand out in front of him and felt up the wall, hoping that it could give him some sort of direction. If he still had his wings he'd use their magic to light the way, but with love came misery, apparently.

"Ow, shit," Baljeet pulled back from the wall and kept walking, dabbing his fingers under his nose to make sure he wasn't bleeding. Baljeet shifted the book around in his grip and ended up dropping it to the ground. "Gosh, darn it, what the heck–"

The book opened on its own accord and a bright light shone from the pages, illuminating the entire hallway. Baljeet almost facepalmed at the realization. Magic book. _Of course_. Baljeet picked it up and pointed it towards the ground so he could see where he was going. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing, other than Baljeet getting lost a few times and having to backtrack.

The council room doors hung ominously over him, casting shadows over Baljeet's face. He'd never been inside by himself, he'd never been inside at all. Baljeet jiggled the handle a little and huffed when it didn't open, he got ready to throw his body at it. As he stepped back, his tiny frame versus the big oak door, the door opened by itself and Baljeet ran straight through the opening, full force with his shoulder down.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Baljeet muttered as he skidded to a halt, very nearly tumbling over into a pile of papers. Once he was safely balanced and away from the tall pile of precariously stacked papers, Baljeet allowed himself to take a look around. Rows upon rows of shelving covered each wall, and Baljeet wondered fleetingly if there were more books in the council room than there were in the actual library.

Then Baljeet realized that the papers and the "books" lining the walls weren’t just any old random books at all. They were folders, each holding files of a certain person or couple. Baljeet walked over to the shelf nearest to him and pulled out one of the black folders and opened it up. Numerous papers fell out and Baljeet scrambled to the ground to pick them up and put them back in order.

Listed down the page were the usual criteria, name, birthday, hair and eye colour, likes, dislikes, and if the person was in love or not. Baljeet looked through a few of the files, trying to pronounce the weird names and laughing to himself when he couldn't. Baljeet figured he'd stay in there all night, reading through people's files at his leisure, wishing them luck when the love turned out to be one-sided.

He shoved the files back on the shelf and got off the floor, holding the Great Book in his arms. Baljeet looked around, searching for a golden pedestal or a fancy spot to set the book. Unfortunately, there were no pedestals sealed off with velvet ropes for Baljeet to set the book on, so he took the chance to look behind the big desk in the back of the room.

Baljeet had to jump to get on the chair, just barely making it with the book weighing him down. He stood on the seat and reached up for the desk, and for the first time in his life, Baljeet felt like a pixie. He was too short to sit in the chair and reach the desk, and even on his toes, he could barely hook onto the dark oak. Baljeet pulled himself up onto the desk and set down the book, hoping that no one would notice that it was in a weird place.

He flipped through the pages of the book softly, debating whether or not to call Buford again, just one more time, and before he knew it Baljeet was pulling the pouch of fairy dust out of his pocket and sprinkling it over the pages. Baljeet stepped back as the pages flipped, the wind sending some of the papers on the desk flying onto the floor.

Baljeet sat on the desk and peered into the book, only to see an empty couch and empty food wrappers sitting on the floor next to it. Baljeet's eyebrows pulled together and he sighed. Apparently, it only showed one area of the house, and if the person wasn't there tough luck. Baljeet sighed and sat back on his heels. He'd thought he'd get in one last goodbye before having to leave, as a way to reassure himself that this was actually happening, but apparently not.

As Baljeet went to shut the book, a sleepy-looking Django walked into frame, scratching his head. He looked around the room and then pulled the cushions off the couch like he was searching for something. "Buford, is your phone ringing?"

Buford then, looking just as tired, if not more so, walked out of his room into the frame and shook his head. "Don't think so. What is that ringing? Did you set something on fire?"

"Oh, shit," Baljeet said quietly, attempting to turn off the call part of the book. Django and Buford started bickering back and forth, _why would I catch something on fire_ , and _I don't know, it's happened before_ , while Baljeet struggled to turn off the two-way receiver.

"Maybe the person next door caught something on fire," Django suggested, he walked to the front door and slipped off his house shoes. "I'll go check on them."

"No need, we live at the end of a hallway and they haven't rented out Baljeet's apartment yet, it's definitely coming from in here. Did you have your alarm clock set? Jesus, that's annoying." Buford pulled the cushion off the chair, throwing it on the ground to join those from the couch, but there was no magic ringing device to be seen.

Baljeet had no choice but to just hang up, so he frowned, whispered a, "See you later, Buford," and shut the book.

After shimmying his way off the desk and back onto the floor, Baljeet snuck out of the council room and tried to find his way back to his room without a light. Once he semi-safely made it back to his room, Baljeet crawled into his bed and stayed awake, waiting for Vanessa to come to get him so he could go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twenty-nine of cupid, leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed the chapter !! Imagine I just never update the last chapter.. haha.
> 
> words 1297  
> characters 7196


	31. thirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my books are a work of fiction and aren’t meant to be taken seriously, they are simply for entertainment.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Phineas and Ferb, and the fanfic; I merely edit. If I did, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as amazing compared to how Dan and Swampy made the original series.

> **Thirty**

Baljeet let Vanessa wipe off his jacket again, let her fuss over his hair and outfit and bag until, finally, she felt calmer. Vanessa stepped back and sent Baljeet an apologetic smile, and Baljeet just grinned back at her. He didn't mind being fussed over, not when in less than an hour he'd be back with Buford, back at home.

"A-are you ready, then?" Vanessa asked, voice quavering. Baljeet smiled at her sadly. Was he ready? Absolutely. Was Vanessa ready? Absolutely not. So Baljeet shook his head and started picking at his nails. "We're all going to miss you so much, Baljeet. They would kill me if they knew I was letting you go without a goodbye."

"May I ask you something, Vanessa?" Baljeet asked, looking up from his hands. Vanessa nodded fervently – anything to get Baljeet to stay just a little longer. "Why did you not just tell me that you wanted me to be happy? Why did you have to send Phineas to sabotage my mission? It drove a little wedge between us for a little bit _and_ he punched my face after Django — _Django_. What will happen to Django? Does he not deserve a happy ending too? What am I supposed to tell him? _'Sorry but Phineas had a girlfriend all along. He only dated you so I could be happy_ '? That is a horrible idea, Vanessa!"

"Don't worry about Django, Baljeet. He won't remember Phineas. Neither of them will. He wasn't there on official business, so he didn't make any residing connections to any of the mortals–" Baljeet cut her off with a quiet _that's terrible_ and Vanessa continued. "As for the sabotaging your mission thing. Originally, Phineas was supposed to be sent on an official mission as _your_ matchmaker, then I realized we'd probably get into a predicament much like this one, so I called the mission off and told him to do what he could to make you happy. I had no intention of him and Django getting together, it just happened."

"How does Isabella feel about that?" Baljeet asked. He'd been wondering since he found out about Isabella and Phineas if Isabella knew that, technically, Phineas cheated on him.

"It was for work, she understands. I'm not going to say I didn't walk in on some very angry–"

Baljeet slapped his hands over his ears. "Vanessa, please, I do not want to know!"

" _Yelling_. They were yelling, Baljeet, dear god. But all is good in Phinabella land now." Baljeet nodded and shuffled his feet, then readjusted his book bag straps, then shuffled his feet some more. Everything he'd been wondering about Vanessa had cleared up, and now he was actually ready to go. It was early, only five-thirty am, and Baljeet knew somewhere in the back of his head that his friends wouldn't be up anytime soon, no matter how he hoped.

But, his friends always seemed to come through for him, or at least Ferb, who walked into Vanessa's office dragging a very tired couple behind him. Phineas was barely hobbling along, his cheek squished against Ferb's shoulder and his mouth hanging wide open. Isabella, on the other hand, was sleepily fluttering her wings to keep her a little off the ground while she clutched to Ferb's head to keep her steady. When Ferb stopped walking Phineas flopped onto the floor, and Isabella just barely landed on her feet.

"They sure are something else, aren't they?" Ferb said, stepping out of the heap of limbs on the floor at his feet. He opened his arms and, Baljeet hugged him, having to stand on his toes to whisper a quiet _'take care of Vanessa for me'_ in his ear. Ferb blushed and nodded, and Baljeet anxiously awaited the falling of glitter from his fingers, but it never came.

"Deja vú," Isabella said, hugging Baljeet tightly. Baljeet sighed and laid his head on Isabella's shoulder. They stood there for a minute, Isabella's taller frame looming over Baljeet until Phineas hauled himself up off the floor and started poking Isabella in the ribs, silently asking her to move.

"Hey, best friend," Phineas said, shoving Baljeet's shoulder obnoxiously. Baljeet smiled sadly at him and pushed him back, and Phineas smiled. Baljeet opened his arms for a hug, and Phineas held him tightly, practically squeezing the life out of him. Baljeet wrapped his arms around Phineas' back, noticing for the first time the lack of feathers.

"You are wearing one of my shirts," Baljeet commented into Phineas' shoulder. Phineas shrugged and mumbled back, _comfier to sleep without them_ , Baljeet heard Isabella let out a sound of agreement. Everything got quiet and Baljeet sighed, sagging his body against Phineas' own. "I want to say that I will see you later that I will hurry to pass the mission and be home in no time."

"Don't make me cry," Phineas said, pulling away from Baljeet and grasping his shoulders. Baljeet already had tears in his eyes, and Phineas sighed. "You're going to be happy, Baljeet."

"But I will miss you guys so much." Baljeet whimpered, bottom lip wobbling. Suddenly Baljeet was trapped in the middle of a matchmaker and fairy sandwich, with Ferb coming up on the outside and wrapping his long arms around all four of them at once. Baljeet laid his head on whomever's shoulder was nearest to him – _Vanessa_ , he thought – and let himself be enveloped by the warmth his friends were emitting.

"We'll come to visit you," Phineas promised, then he got whacked on the back of his head because there was no way to ensure that they could leave. Baljeet knew this, but the effort made him feel better all the same. 

"We’ll call you all the time. If Ferb can steal the Great Book, it shouldn't be too difficult for Phineas." Isabella chimed in.

"Hey!" Ferb and Phineas both yelled together. 

“Why do _I_ have to steal it?” Phineas asked, pointing an accusatory look at Isabella.

"Because my wings aren't strong enough to carry myself and the book, you're the only one that can do it if we don't want to get caught," Isabella said. Baljeet could feel his breath skimming the top of his head and, he squirmed.

"Fair enough," Phineas agreed while Ferb stood behind them, scoffing, mumbling, ‘ _I did just fine, thank you.’_ And other such things until Vanessa patted his head and thanked him for all his prior efforts.

It was nearly six o'clock, the time in which all the council members usually got up. The hug slowly, but surely, dissipated and Baljeet was left standing in the center of the room, alone, holding onto his bookbag straps. Vanessa raised her wand to send Baljeet away when Phineas yelled, "Wait!" and ran out of the room.

The entire room froze, Vanessa's hand suspended in the air as they waited for Phineas to return with bated breath. Phineas flew around the corner merely two minutes later, holding Buford's pyjama pants in his hand.

"I forgot to give these back, y'know because you said maybe you should try to live without them? Well, there's no point in that anymore so, here. Buford will want these back." Phineas walked around Baljeet and shoved the pants in his bag before stepping back next to Isabella. Isabella gently wrapped her hand around Phineas' and Baljeet cooed at them.

"So, Baljeet, you ready?" Vanessa asked, lifting her hand once more. Baljeet nodded and adjusted his bag on his back.

"I love all of you. But this is not a goodbye, just an _'I'll see you later'_." Baljeet said. Everyone nodded and Vanessa waved her hand. Baljeet's chest compressed and he closed his eyes, and he flew through the division between the supernatural and mortal world with the sound of sirens in the background, signalling that an unapproved mission was underway. 

* * *

Baljeet landed successfully on his feet this time around, although this didn't stop him from having to grip onto the wall to keep himself steady. He looked around and noticed that he was in his apartment building, smack dab in the middle of the lobby. Baljeet caught the eye of the receptionist, who looked horrified that someone had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of her lobby.

"Hello, I apologize about that," Baljeet said, wiping his hands on the front of his pants. His palm ran over a bump in his pocket and he reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out a small shiny key. Baljeet almost cried in joy. "I will be going now. To my apartment. Which I rent. From you. Okay, bye."

Baljeet ran to the steps, deciding that the elevator would be too slow and took them two at a time. He reached the fifth floor in record time and wiped the sweat off his forehead as he walked down the hall. Baljeet's heart thumped in his chest when he reached his door, knowing that in five more feet, he'd be at Buford's.

Baljeet took the extra five steps and knocked lightly on the apartment door, hoping and praying that his heart would stay safely tucked behind his ribcage. He heard yelling, then some more yelling back until eventually, Django opened the door. He looked annoyed like he'd been doing something and, Buford was too lazy to get off the couch and open the door himself.

"Hi," Baljeet said quietly, looking at his feet. Django stared at him for a second, and Baljeet noticed for the first time the toothbrush hanging from his mouth. It seemed as if his predictions had been correct.

"Holy shit," Django replied as Baljeet let out a light giggle in response. and he heard Buford's voice from the living room, 

“Who's at the door? Don't buy anything, you remember last time.” Buford shouted from the living room.

"Buford there's something at the door for you," Django responded, ignoring Buford’s previous comments.

"Is it a package? Just bring it in, I'm warm." Buford said. Baljeet could hear Glee playing in the background and, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"No, Buford, I think you need to come to get it yourself," Django said, never taking his eyes off Baljeet. Toothpaste was running down his chin, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Ungrateful brat, I let you live here most of the time for free, and you can't even bring in my mail," Buford grumbled, but Baljeet could hear the couch springs squeaking as Buford lifted himself off of it. Django backed away from the door slowly as Buford took his spot, glaring at the floor. "I didn't even order anything so–"

Buford looked up and cut himself off, his mouth falling open. Buford stared at him for a minute before stepping backwards and slamming the door. Baljeet's eyes widened, and he went to turn around, but Buford started yelling again.

" _Django_!" Buford yelled, still standing close enough to the door that Baljeet could hear him. "Why didn't you tell me Baljeet was going to show up today? I would have taken a fucking shower!"

"I told you to shower like four days ago, Buford! But did you listen to me? No. Did you actually slam the door in his face? You idiot, he probably thinks you don't want to see him again." Django yelled back. The door opened once again, with more ferocity than it'd been closed.

Buford looked at Baljeet for a minute longer, seemingly contemplating whether to hug him or not. Baljeet decided for him, dropping his bag to the ground and throwing his arms around Buford's shoulders. Buford reacted immediately, wrapping his arms around Baljeet's waist and putting his face in the younger boy's neck. Baljeet sighed in content and rested his head on Buford's shoulder. It was the first time in three weeks that he felt warm. The first time in three weeks that he felt at home.

Baljeet tried to pull away, but when he moved his head, Buford's hand came up and pushed it back down onto his shoulder before tightening his arms around Baljeet even more. Baljeet was standing on his tiptoes, so he was just tall enough to kiss Buford's temple. Buford seemed to remember after that that he was allowed to kiss Baljeet and pulled back just enough to allow him the space to press his mouth against Baljeet's.

Buford tasted like cupcakes, something he seemed to be eating a lot of lately, but this time Baljeet couldn't bring himself to pull back and ridicule him for eating the treat without him. Instead, he moved his arms from where they were wrapped around Buford's shoulders to around his neck and opened his mouth.

"Could you two stop making out in the doorway?" Django asked, a bit of irritation in his tone. Baljeet felt the hand on the back of his head slip away, and by the offended scoff that came from Django a minute later, Baljeet guessed Buford had flipped him off. Django grumbled under his breath, something along the lines of, "I hope you swallow each other's tongues and choke."

Baljeet pulled away first, needing to breathe, and Buford took the time to simply look at him, at his slightly flushed cheeks and swollen lips and dark under eyes. Buford ran the pads of his thumbs across Baljeet's cheekbones and pressed another kiss to his lips.

"I love you," Buford said. He expected Baljeet to at least look a little surprised, but Baljeet just smiled.

“I know,” Baljeet whispered back, grabbing Buford’s face and kissing his cheeks, and his nose, and his lips. "I love you too," he told him between placing kisses on each of Buford's eyelids. Buford let him even though it tickled, he even let Baljeet run his hands through his greasy hair. Buford relished in Baljeet's touch, taking in every single movement after being deprived of it for weeks. Buford leant his head against Baljeet's and sighed as the younger boy ran his fingers up and down Buford's neck.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," Baljeet said in a whispered chant as they stood in Buford's doorway. It felt nice to be able to finally admit it to himself. He'd always known, but only now did he find it in himself to say it out loud in full earnest with Buford in front of him, holding him like the last life preserver left on a rapidly sinking ship.

"I honestly didn't think you were going to come back," Buford mumbled into Baljeet's shoulder. Baljeet laughed and Buford took a moment to think it was the best sound he'd heard in his entire life.

"I told you I would see you later, did I not?" Baljeet asked. Buford smiled at him and, Baljeet's heart swelled. _To hell with giving love_ , Baljeet thought if someone had to go through their whole life without this feeling, the feeling of being needed and wanted and depended on, Baljeet felt sorry for them. He felt sorry for the old bearded matchmaker and the cynical councilwoman. They'd never get to experience real love if they were too busy trying to make everyone else happy. 

_"But just take a week and prove to yourself that you really don't like it here, because I've seen you in both places Baljeet, and this is the happiest you've ever been."_

Phineas was kind of an idiot, but sometimes he did pep talks pretty well.

* * *

[ page 1/2 ] 

**SUBJECT: Baljeet Tjinder**

**DOB: 970503**

**EYE COLOR: Dark Brown**

**HAIR COLOR: Black**

**INTERESTS: math, flying, hanging out with friends**

**DISLIKES: spiders, bugs, the bottom of cupcakes**

**STATUS: in love (with Buford Van Stomm [file 789] - human)**

[ page 2/2 ] 

**SUBJECT: Buford Van Stomm**

**DOB: 950916**

**EYE COLOR: Dark Blue**

**HAIR COLOR: Brown / Blonde**

**INTERESTS: films, sleeping, secret Glee fanatic**

**DISLIKES: loud noises, velcro, licorice**

**STATUS: in love (with Baljeet Tjinder [file 435] – matchmaker) |**

**STATUS: in love (with Baljeet Tjinder [file 435] – matchm|**

**STATUS: in love (with Baljeet Tjinder [file 435] – mat|**

**STATUS: in love (with Baljeet Tjinder [file 435] – hu|**

**STATUS: in love (with Baljeet Tjinder [file 435] – huma|**

**STATUS: in love (with Baljeet Tjinder [file 435] – human)**

**-**

**The End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the last chapter of cupid; leave kudos/ comments if you’ve enjoyed the book !! Sorry for the wait! I’ve been expanding my hobbies and interests recently or been trying to keep up with work in general. I didn’t want the book to wait until next year so, I finally uploaded the chapter on the last day of the year (EST time-wise, anyway.)
> 
> Fanfic (and Bujeet wise), I have a few more stories coming up that I genuinely think you (all) would enjoy. I currently have eight fics that are already roughly sketched out, and one would probably come out around February or March, so do look out for those.
> 
> With that said, thank you to all my readers, whether you started reading from the very beginning, in the middle, towards the end or maybe even years after this book has ended. I’m glad you gave the book a chance. Moving forward, I will look for more ways to grow as a writer and not have as many plot holes as I would have wished; don't worry, I will edit the book sometime in January to make the story better in case you decide to re-read. As for cupid, this is most likely the end of the story unless I choose to write a prequel later on (no sequels will be made, sorry!). 
> 
> \- whalemingo c:
> 
> words 2701  
> characters 15711


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